Rebuilding infrastructure in developing nations carries the potential for destruction of sites of historic or archeological interest. Such sites not only possess intellectual interest but may provide the country a magnet for tourism. Discovery of these sites may be difficult because of terrain and other reasons. Keeping track of existing sites and cataloging data on new ones is a major task in historic and archeological preservation. A method for using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for archeological surveying and database management was recently implemented at the University of Arkansas. This method could be applied in countries that possess valuable archeological and historic resources.

The Arkansas Archeological Survey and the Department of Arkansas Heritage developed an integrated digital information infrastructure combining innovative data management technologies, long-distance networking potentials, and extensive statewide archeological and environmental data.

Government agencies and other organizations make use of computer-based mapping and analytical tools in a variety of management, planning, and research activities. The primary purpose of the project was to develop a computer-based GIS map layer and an associated digital database containing comprehensive information on all archeological surveys and excavations within the State of Arkansas. Secondly, in order to make this data fully useful, an ancillary but integral objective was to provide accessibility to other decision-making agencies for their planning needs by taking advantage of recent technological advances in telecommunications and networking. Both objectives were achieved.

The resulting integrated system, as developed under this contract, will allow state and federal agencies to remotely access and easily query the computer system via Internet for locational and non-locational attribute data associated with all recorded archeological sites and surveys statewide, as well as related environmental map data.

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 requires federal agencies, and state agencies using federal money, to assess the effects of their projects on archeological and historic properties. To do this, agencies must determine if archeological and historic properties exist in their project right-of-ways and consult with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), which in Arkansas is part of the Department of Arkansas Heritage . By reviewing and analyzing past archeological research in an area, the SHPO and the requesting agency decide if new or additional archeological investigations are necessary before a project is initiated. Prior to the development of this archeological project database and GIS, it was time-consuming to determine where archeological projects had been undertaken in the state. Having this information readily available will save state and federal agencies time and money, and allow for more meaningful consultations.

The newly-developed integrated system was designed to augment the existing relational database management system consisting of over 130 separate fields of information relating to each of the more than 29,000 archeological sites recorded in the state. These data are coupled to a Geographic Resources Analysis Support System (GRASS)-based full-functioned GIS that provides the ability to manually digitize locational information, and to import existing digital data such as digital line graphs, digital elevation models, and satellite imagery. Once data have been entered into the system, they can be manipulated, analyzed and displayed as color images, hardcopy maps or tabular information. The Survey currently has a number of statewide GIS data coverages on-line, including archeological, cultural and socioeconomic data themes, census data, transportation, hydrography, elevation, soils, and geology, as well as a variety of multi-state regional coverages and more localized, site-specific and intrasite applications.

Before the development of the data and query capabilities associated with the current contract, the database was already extremely useful in finding out where archeological sites have been recorded in the state, but it could not provide information about where archeologists have looked for sites but found nothing. Over a period of years, the Survey has compiled information on more than 3,100 archeological project reports statewide. These reports contain information on the location and extent of archeological investigations, even if no archeological sites were found. Knowing what areas have been previously surveyed for cultural resources and how those surveys were conducted can be just as important as determining the location of known archeological sites in various developmental planning processes, such as highway construction, timber sales, and the siting of sewage treatment facilities. Depending on the methods used to locate archeological sites in past surveys, and the type of project being proposed, an agency may or may not be required to do additional archeological work before construction begins.

By developing an integrated GIS/relational database that displays the locations and boundaries of these projects, the Arkansas Archeological Survey has provided a system that will enable federal and state agencies to effectively and efficiently determine whether any archeological work has been conducted in the areas of their proposed projects. Consequently, this system has the potential to greatly reduce redundant archeological investigations within the same locations, thereby saving valuable planning dollars. At the same time, by adding the project locations to the GIS system, meaningful predictive models of archeological site location can be developed using existing information pertaining to the environmental and cultural characteristics associated with the presence or absence of sites in previously surveyed areas. Up

A number of tasks were involved in the development and implementation of the archeological project GIS and accompanying relational database. The first of these tasks was to create a project database schema. The schema is the digital structure or framework designed to contain and manage the information to be encoded in the database. Decisions about the types of information to be included in the database were made in consultation with archeologists from the State Historic Preservation Office. That office is one of the principal users of the system. Information encoded into the system includes the project name and number, who did it, when they did it, why it was done, and who sponsored it. The database also includes information on size and location of the project and the type of project, such as intensive survey, archeological testing, or extensive excavation, among other facts. Information on the number of sites found, if any, and whether any human remains were found is also included. Finally there is information on the field conditions, restraints, and subsurface indicators of archeological deposits that allows one to judge the adequacy of the investigation without imposing a judgmental confidence level rating system. The database was created using Informix Relational Database Management System software on a UNIX platform.

The next step in the process was to gather all the reports of archeological projects completed in the state. Many of these were located in the archives of the Arkansas Archeological Survey, but more than 350 previously unrecorded reports were unexpectedly discovered at the State Historic Preservation Office.

The most labor-intensive and time-consuming part of the project was converting the original written archeological reports into digital form. Eight students from the Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, were hired to do this work. Their first task was to plot project boundaries on 7.5-minute USGS quadrangle maps. On average, it took approximately one hour per project to plot the boundaries and to extract information about the project for the database. Archeological excavations were plotted as points and could be mapped relatively quickly, while right-of-way surveys for highways, power lines, pipelines, and large surveys took correspondingly more time to interpolate and plot. Once plotted on USGS maps, the project boundaries were digitized into the GIS, and the attribute information for each project was encoded into the database. A system is now in place to convert all newly received archeological reports to digital form in the GIS and relational project databases. To date, more than 3,100 projects have been entered into the system, and the databases are maintained with continual updates.

The next task involved conversion of U.S. Census data to a digital format for use in the Survey's integrated data management environment. In cooperation with the Arkansas Archeological Survey and Department of Arkansas Heritage, the Center of Advanced Spatial Technology at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville supplied the raw files and programs to be used in the data conversion process. The data contain modern community boundaries, and up-to-date highway maps, hydrographical coverages, as well as traditional census data. Knowledge of the modern environment is essential in making informed decisions concerning the need for archeological investigations prior to a project. With that in mind, these critical data provide the capability to cartographically overlay archeological project boundaries onto modern digital map layers for display purposes, and, more importantly, for purposes of analysis.

The Department of Computing Services, University of Arkansas provided the supervision and technical expertise for connecting the Arkansas Archeological Survey to the campus fiber optic backbone and Internet. The State Historic Preservation Office was connected to the Internet through an educational network with cooperation from the Arkansas Department of Computing Services.

The final task of the project was to train the staff in use of the system. Arkansas Archeological Survey personnel have provided on site demonstrations and training, as well as maintaining continuous communication and technical support.

The project has been completed as designed. All archeological projects for which written reports were made available to either the Arkansas Archeological Survey or the Arkansas State Historic Preservation Office are now incorporated into the Projects database and the GIS maintained by the Arkansas Archeological Survey. These new data sets compliment and extend the utility of the existing database and GIS system already in operation there.

The integrated systems give Arkansas state-of-the-art digital data management and archeological research capabilities. A number of historic preservation and archeology offices have relational databases for basic site information and project information. However, in the U.S. only Arkansas has both archeological site and project boundary information that can be analyzed using a statewide GIS system integrated with a relational database. Individually, and particularly in combination, the system components developed by means of this grant provide powerful mapping and analytical tools that a number of state and federal agencies have long needed to enhance resource management and planning within the State.

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