# Redefining Archaeological Research: Digital Tools, Challenges, and Integration in Advancing Methods
## 5 Advancements and Challenges
### Integration of Digital Tools with Traditional Methods  
In archaeological studies, it is common practice to combine digital tools and traditional methods. This integration provides researchers with valuable datasets essential for the documentation process, particularly during excavation activities [78; 79]. By utilizing both digital data and in situ excavation data, researchers can compare newly acquired information with previous datasets, enabling a more comprehensive and holistic analysis of the sites under study. This approach facilitates the interpretation and analysis of archaeological sites, leading to more reliable findings [80; 81].  
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an effective tool for managing existing buildings and monitoring construction and restoration projects. It is a holistic approach that integrates a variety of data types, represents physical objects, and enables systematic monitoring [82]. Historic Building Information Modeling (HBIM), often described as an evolution of GISs [83], allows for data integration from different sources and continues to evolve [84]. As a cloud-based solution, HBIM incorporates spatial data and dimensions ranging from 3D to 7D [85] information. It ensures interoperability, enhances usability for professionals across disciplines (archaeologists, restorers, and engineers), and facilitates communication between multidisciplinary teams [86].  
The HBIM process integrates data from terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), GPSs, aerial photography, and conventional topographic methods to create intelligent 3D models through specialized software [86] (Figure 20). These models can be further enhanced with plugins tailored for specific services. In their work, [PERSON] and [PERSON] [85] (Figure 21) demonstrated the platform ARK-BIM for archaeological documentation and analysis. This platform requires only a browser, offering a user-friendly and functional interface that simplifies collaboration and data accessibility.  
Establishing clear and consistent data protocols is becoming increasingly important in archaeology, as digital technologies generate vast amounts of information. Initiatives like MIDAS Heritage, the UK Historic Environment Data Standard, play a key role in addressing this need. By providing a structured framework for recording and managingheritage data, MIDAS Heritage ensures that information is accurate, easy to share, and preserved in the long term, ensuring consistency and reliability across diverse projects.  
Standards like MIDAS promote interoperability, enabling different datasets and systems to work together, which is especially important for large-scale projects and interdisciplinary research. Such efforts improve collaboration among researchers, simplify the integration of diverse datasets, and facilitate their reuse in future projects. In addition to enhancing the quality of archaeological work, these standards streamline workflows, reduce the duplication of effort, and bridge the gap between fieldwork, digital documentation, and long-term heritage conservation. By fostering consistency and collaboration, data standards are vital for advancing the field of archaeology in an increasingly data-driven era.