Guide to Good Practice: Geophysical Data in Archaeology#

2nd Edition#

by Armin Schmidt and Eileen Ernenwein#

Section 1. Introduction#

• 1.1 Aims and objectives of this Guide
• 1.2 Terminology used
• 1.3 Backing up project data
• 1.4 Layout of this Guide

Section 2. The Life of Geophysical Data#

• 2.1 Introduction
• 2.2 Data acquisition
• 2.3 Storage in instrument
• 2.4 Download to and storage on computer
• 2.5 Conversion to other formats
• 2.6 Assembling data into composites
• 2.7 Processing
• 2.8 Georeferencing and data combination
• 2.9 Interpretation
• 2.10 Reporting
• 2.11 Archiving

Section 3. Documenting and Archiving#

• 3.1 Reasons for archiving
• 3.2 Issues when archiving
• 3.3 Data documentation and metadata
• 3.4 The Archive and the Archiving Body

Section 4. Archive Files#

• 4.1 Working files
• 4.2 Preservation files
• 4.3 Image Files
• 4.4 Project notes
• 4.5 Project report
• 4.6 Geophysics and project metadata
• 4.7 Geophysics georeferencing
• 4.8 File description

Section 5. Comprehensive Documentation#

• 5.1 Introduction
• 5.2 Project metadata
• 5.3 Geophysics metadata
  • 5.3.1 All Survey Techniques
  • 5.3.2 Earth Resistance Surveys
  • 5.3.3 Magnetometer Surveys
  • 5.3.4 Low Frequency Electromagnetic Surveys
  • 5.3.5 Ground Penetrating Radar Surveys
  • 5.3.6 Maritime Sonar Surveys
  • 5.3.7 Survey Methodology
• 5.4 Data treatment
• 5.5 Report
• 5.6 Case study 1: the Cottam project
• 5.7 Case study 2: the Leptiminus geophysical survey

Section 6. Subsets of Documentation#

• 6. Subsets of Documentation

Section 7. Depositing to Archives#

• 7.1 Planning for Archiving
• 7.2 Geophysical Survey
• 7.3 Creating the Archive
• 7.4 Depositing to an Archiving Body

Section 8. Conclusions#

• 8. Conclusions

Appendices#

• Appendix 1: Preservation File Formats
• Appendix 2: Georeferencing Geophysical Data
• Appendix 3: The Archaeological Context of Geophysical Surveys
• Appendix 4: Term Lists

Bibliography and Further Reading#

• Bibliography