The ArchaeoTech Podcast

What happens to archaeological data when the project is over? Are we doing all we can? Where does it go and how can we help? This is a response to a recent article.

Drones are fast becoming a standard archaeological tool. Their cool factor is undeniable, but maybe you're on the fence about their actual utility. Or, maybe you're sold on their usefulness and want to jump in but don't know where to start. In today's episode of the ArchaeoTech Podcast, we'll help get you up to speed.

Apple had their usual September announcement recently and Paul and Chris break down what the new tech is and what it means for archaeology. Should you upgrade to the new phone? Do you need the new watch? Will the new operating system crash your hard drive? We'll talk about all that and our experiences with iOS 12, Watch OS 5, and MacOS Mohave, 10.14.

Drones are here to stay in CRM Archaeology. Archaeologist Bill Whitehead of SWCA in New Mexico talks about how they're using drones and other technology to enhance the products they can return to customers and increase the accuracy of their maps.

There is a lot to do and think about in business and in the business of archaeology. We often don't think of common business tools when trying to finish a project - mostly because we just want to think about archaeology. However, modern tools like team communication apps and project management apps are great at helping everyone organize, get on the same page, and get the work done on time and unde...

Dylan Davis is lead author on a paper titled, "Automated mound detection using lidar and object-based image analysis in Beaufort County, South Carolina." The article details his teams efforts to create algoritms and workflows for a computer system to identify mounds and earthworks. The results were stunning! They covered an amazing amount of space in a short period of time and ground truthed just...

Bill White is a CRM Archaeologist and professor at UC Berkeley. He's ran projects in a variety of conditions and locations and today he joins us to talk about the challenges of using tech on projects in challenging areas.

Data loss is one of the most terrifying things an archaeologist, or any scientist, fears. To have all that hard work, and sometimes un-replicable work, lost because of something that you could ultimately control is something we don't like to think about. But, we have to. Especially as archaeology goes more into the digital realm all field archaeologists have to think about how they are preserving...

Today Chris and Paul discuss an article from the May 2018 issue of Advances in Archaeological Practice, a journal from the Society for American Archaeology. It's an article that summarizes the rest of this special journal issue that is all about the reuse of archived data. It's a real issue in archaeology and we dive in on this episode.

Today we talk about digital preservation in archaeology and history. Is digital preservation really preservation? Is it possible to preserve something 100% digitally? Send us your answers and thoughts to these questions.

We had a few topics to discuss that we've been putting off so we gathered them all here. A few of the things we talk about on this episode include AR in archaeology, APIs and data shuttles, and a few other things.

Posters at conferences haven't changed much over the last few decades...or ever, really. The poster is designed so the researcher can convey information to passersby and answer any questions they may have. That's a pretty easy thing to do in very different ways. On today's show Paul and Chris discuss various ways conferences can spice up the poster room and offer different types of interaction.&nb...

In April 2018 Chris Webster attended the Society for American Archaeology Meetings in Washington, D.C. Today's episode contains segments recorded in the poster room and the exhibit hall.

Chris participated in a forum on virtual and digital ethics at the 2018 Society for American Archaeology annual meetings in Washington, D.C. in April. On today's episode, Chris and Paul talk about the forum and what virtual and digital ethics actually mean for archaeologists.

On today’s episode, Chris and Paul discuss an article (linked below) from the Society for American Archaeology’s Advances in Archaeological Practice regarding digital extensions to physical museum exhibitions. We get into the weeds on this and discuss the future possibilities of digital museums.

On today's episode Chris and Paul answer some listener questions.

Today's episode starts with a brief discussion of the state of digital site recording technology and what the future holds. Then Chris and Paul discuss the article "Pencils and Pixels..." which discusses the coming transition from traditional archaeological field illustration to digital drawing methods and how they can be integrated into a born-digital future.  

Structure from Motion is a photogrametric technique that just about anyone can do. All you need are half-decent photographs. This podcast discusses a recent article in SAA Advances about using SfM to examine, analyze, and preserve the giant hats, or pukau, on Easter Island. What would you preserve with this technique?

It's a four-year-old article from SAA Advances but brings up some interesting thoughts about teaching archaeology - It's called Red Land / Black Land. The article is by Ethan Watrall and discusses an effort to create a "mod" for the Civilizations 5 gaming platform where you work through Egyptian history and learn along the way. They had some unexpected challenges and some unexpected outcomes.

Want to get into the tech space and upgrade your office or fieldwork but either don't have the money or have a limited budget? This episode is for you. Tech doesn't have to be expensive and if you look around you can find high quality items for low prices. There is also a bonus segment for members of the APN!

There are other things you can record on a site besides artifacts and features. There's other visual ways to record, including photogrammetry, 360 videos, and imagery for augmented and virtual reality. You can also record sounds, scents, and even taste. Not sure what that would do for you, but, it's certainly an option.

On today’s show we’re going to talk about taking and managing field photographs.

There are a lot of options out there and no standard answer to the question, "What do you use to record digitally in the field?" Fortunately, Chris and Paul have some experience with this and Chris has worked on two apps for site recording in the field. We talk about the progression from fillable PDFs all the way to custom applications on today's episode. This is good material even if you're alrea...

It's Drone time again! This is such a rapidly changing space that we have to cover it every now and again. And, many people ask me how to get into it and how to learn to fly. We cover all that in this episode. What do you learn on? What's more important for a trainer, camera or control? When should you upgrade?

On today's show we talk to lawyer and author, Joshua Fairfield about his new book, "Owned", from Cambridge University Press. Who owns your digital property? You? The developers? The people licensing you the material? More importantly for archaeology, who owns the digital past? We have a fascinating discussion with Joshua about these and other topics related to digital ownership.