Course description 

Most  anthropological, geological or archaeological data are spatially distributed within regions or small areas. As such,  GIS provide a wonderful suite of graphical and analytical tools for the study of spatially distributed phenomena. GIS tools enable us to recognize and explain spatial patterns both visually and quantitatively by viewing data in new and unconventional ways. This course will provide an overview of methods and applications for the collection and analysis of digital map and remote sensing image data, including  sampling, survey methods and spatial analysis. Most of the course will be devoted to the application of the GIS tool kit to archaeological and environmental problems, through an overview of readings, case studies, in-class exercises and lab assignments using datasets from several regions of the world.  Basic (and/or advanced) familirarity with computers is required.

Required textbook:(available at the bookstore)

Burrough, Peter A. and Rachel A. McDonnel

1998. Principles of Geographic Information Systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

The textbook is designed  as a good introduction to the nuts and bolts of GIS.Additional readings regarding arcaheological applications of GIS (attached list) are held on reserve in the mail room of the Anthropology Department (Garland 124b); hand-outs will be distributed in class.
Important announcements, demos and web links related to class topics will be posted on the course web page at: www.vanderbilt.edu/estrada-belli/anth311/

Additional elective textbook (recommended):

Thomas M. Lillesand and Ralph Kiefer

1999. Remote Sensing and Image Processing. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

Software:

A large portion of this course will be devoted to hands-on experience with computer applications.We will use the GIS GRASS programs for Unix, the GIS Arcview tools, Remote Sensing ENVI tools, and the statistics package SPSS for the Windows environment. A basic familiarity with computers is expected. For those new to Unix it will be  useful to pick up a copy of : 

Gilly, Daniel and Mike Loukides. 1995. Unix in a Nutshell: System V v. 2.0. O'Reilly & Associates Inc.

Or
  Jerry D. Peek, et al. 1997. Learning the Unix Operating System. O'Reilly and Associates Inc.

Course Requirements:

1)Four lab projects. Each requires use of GIS techniques and a short interpretative essay. (40%)

2)One midterm exam(20%).

3)Term paper project. Ideally, it should include one of the following: a) data entry into a GIS database b) spatial analysis c) discussion of GIS analysis (30%).

4)Class participation and discussion (10 min.) of paper topic (10%) 

Course Outline:
 
 
 

Week 1 1/09 Introduction, Course outline. What is GIS? What can GIS do for us?  Introduction to lab facilities: Windows and Linux operating systems, GRASS, Arcview and ENVI software. Week 2 1/16 GIS concepts Computer Hardware, Software, and Data handling GIS data types and data structure: vectors and rasters.  Fundamentals of Cartography  Week 3 1/23 Entering data into a GIS database Map digitizing and editing Imagery importing and processing  Map Output generation  Lab 1  Week 4 1/30 Linking maps with tables GIS for Cultural Resource Management at the regional level GIS within-site database management.  Entering data from tables or spreadsheets.  Data display with Arcview, data query-spatial, aspatial .  Week 5 2/7 Fundamental GIS operations map raster generation, reclassification and overlay photo ortho-rectification  Map algebra techniques.  Boolean operations  Buffers and cost-distance surfaces  Lab 2  Week 6 2/13 Landscape Modeling Creating Digital terrain models Data sources and interpolation methods  Creating slope and aspect surfaces  Creating a 3d landscape view and animation  Lab 3  Week 7 2/20 Landscape Modeling  Cost Surfaces  Least-cost paths  Ridges and drainages  Computing viewsheds  midterm

Week 8 2/27 Exploratory data analysis extracting data from maps Intro to SPSS  searching for patterns with data plots  (histograms, pie charts, scattergrams)  Week 9 3/13 Spatial analysis  Finding patterns and associations among landscape features.  map buffers and goodness-of-fit test in GIS (chi-square test)  testing for correlation/regression    Week 10 3/20 Defining the social landscape  Cenrtal Place Theory, Thiessen plygons and catchment analysis  distance surfaces, slope, aspect and envir. features  combining viewshed with Th. polygons and least-cost paths  Testing viewsheds against site occurrence  Week 11 3/27  Predictive Modeling.  model building with Map algebra  regression methods for model assessment  Week 12 4/3 Remote Sensing  Intro, GPS and satellite imagery  The electromagnetic spectrum  Platforms scanners and sensors  Imagery pre-processing  Week 13 4/10 Computer Processing of satellite data Part I Contrast stretches and filtering Image transforms  Lab 4  Week 14 4/17 Computer Processing of satellite data Part II Image classification methods

 
 
 

Course Readings: 

1) Introduction: What is GIS, What can GIS do for us?
 

Kvamme, K.L.

1992. Geographic Information Systems and Archaeology. In Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology 1991. G. Lock and J. Moffet, eds. British Archaeological Reports International Series S577, pp. 77-84. Oxford: Tempus Reparatum.

Burrough, Peter A. and Rachel A. McDonnel
1998. Principles of Geographic Information Systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (Chapt. 1)

WEB Resources:
Estrada-Belli 1999
URL: http://www.bu.edu/lamilpa
 

2) GIS concepts

Burrough, Peter A. and Rachel A. McDonnel
1998. Principles of Geographic Information Systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (Chapt.  2, 3).

Carthography

Robinson, A.H., R.D Sale, J.L. Morrison, P.C. Muehrcke
1984. Elements of Carthography. New York: John Wilkey & Sons. (Chapt. 4,5)

 3) Digitizing data
Optional Resources:

1991. Grass 4.0 Map Digitizing Manual: v.digit. US Army Corps of Engineers, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory Environmental Division, Spatial Analysis Systems Team. Campaign, IL.

Harmon, V and M. Shapiro
1991. GRASS tutorial: Image Processing. US Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory

4) Database Management Systems

Farley, J., A. Gisiger
1996 Managing the infrastructure: The Use of Corporate Metadata in Archaeology. In New Methods, Old Problems: Geographic Information Systems in Modern Archaeological Research. H.D.G. Maschner (ed.) pp. 275-300. Center for Archaeological Investigations, Occasional Papers No. 23. Southern Illinois University.

Farley, J., F. W. Limp, and J. Lockhart
1990. The Archaeologist's workbench: Integrating GIS, Remote Sensing, EDA and Database Management. In Interpreting Space: GIS and Archaeology. K.M. Allen, S. Green, E. Zubrow, (eds.), pp. 141-164. London: Taylor and Francis Ltd.
 

5) Fundamental GIS operation

.
Chou, Yue-Hong
1996. Single Layer Operations. Santa fe: Onword Press

optional  reading:

GRASS BEGINNERS' MANUAL. USACERL. Champain, Illinois. 

7) Landscape Modeling

Burrough, Peter A. and Rachel A. McDonnel
1998. Principles of Geographic Information Systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (Chapt. 5,6,8)

Berry, J.K.
1993. Carthographic Modeling: The Analytical Capabilities of GIS.  In  Environmental Modeling with GIS.  Goodchild, M.F., B. O. Parks and L.T. Steyaert, pp. 58-74. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Mainment, D.R
1993.  GIS and Environmental Modeling.  In Environmental Modeling with GIS.  Goodchild, M.F., B. O. Parks and L.T. Steyaert, pp. 147-167. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

8) Exlporing data

Chou, Y.H.
Exploring Spatial Analysis in Geographic Information Systems. Santa Fe: Onword Press.
pp.  172-182, 193-205, 276-293.
 

9) Spatial Analysis
Optional Reading:
Shennan, S.
1990. Chapts. 8, 9, 14. In Quantifying Archaeology. New York.: Academic Press (* recommended).

10) Definining the social landscape 

Hodder, I. and C. Orton
1976. Spatial Analysis in Archaeology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Stancic, Z., J Dular., V Gaffney and S. Tecco-Hvala
1995 A GIS-based analysis of Later Prehistoric settlement patterns in Dolenjska. In Computer applications and Quantitative Methods in Arhcaeology 1993. J. Wilcock and K. Lockyear, (eds.) pp. 161-164.

Crunmley C. and William H. Marquardt
1990. Landscape: a unifying concept in regional analysis. In Interpreting Space: GIS and Archaeology. K.M. Allen, S. Green, E. Zubrow, (eds.), pp. 73-79. London: Taylor and Francis Ltd.
Optional Reading:
1980. Spatial Organization of Early Uruk Settlement Systems. In L?Arqueologique de l?Iraq Colloques Internationales du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 580. M. Barret (ed.) pp.233-263. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.

11) Analyzing the Perceived Landscape

Wheatly, D. M
1996. The Use of GIS to Understand Regional Variation in Earlier Neolithic Wessex. In New Methods, Old Problems: Geographic Information Systems in Modern Archaeological Research. H.D. G. Maschner (ed.). Center for Archaeological Investigations, Occasional Papers No. 23. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University.

Madry S. H. and L. Rakos
1996. Line-of Sight and Cost-Surface Techniques for Regional Research in the Arroux River Valley. In New Methods, Old Problems: Geographic Information Systems in Modern Archaeological Research. H.D. G. Maschner (ed.). Center for Archaeological Investigations, Occasional Papers No. 23. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University.

Predictive Modeling

Kvamme, K.L.
1990. The Fundamental Principles and Practice of Predictive Archaeological Modeling. In Mathematics and Information Science in Archaeology: A Flexible Framework, A. Voorips (ed.), pp. 257-295 . Bonn: Holos Verlag.

Dalla Bona, L.
1994. Predictive Modelling Methodology . (Excerpted from, Dalla Bona, Luke (1994) "Volume 3: Methodological Considerations" ) A Report Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Lakehead University: Center for Archaeological Resource Prediction, Thunder Bay, Ontario.  URL: http://modelling.pictographics.com/method.htm

Optional:
Maschner, H.D.G.
1996. The Politics of Settlement Choice on the Northwest Coast: cognition GIS and Coastal Landscapes. In Anthropology, Space, and Geographic Information Systems. M. Aldenderfer and H.D.G. Mascher (eds.) pp. 175-190.
 

Warren, R. E.
1990. Predictive Modeling in Archaeology. A Primer. In Interpreting Space: GIS and Archaeology. K.M. Allen, S. Green, E.B. W. Zubrow. (eds.) pp. 90-111. London: Taylor and Francis Ltd.
 

12) Satellite Imagery