The Bottom Line
Indispensable for archaeologists who need to understand GIS
Pros
- Very thorough examination of the subject
Cons
- A little rough going for the non-specialist
Description
- Wheatley, David and Mark Gillings. 2002. Spatial Technology and Archaeology. Taylor and Francis
- Introduction to the spatial databases and how GIS manipulates data (four chapters)
- Overview of the major kinds of spatial analysis (five chapters)
- The use of GIS in heritage management (one chapter)
- Future directions (one chapter)
Guide Review - Archaeology and GIS Book
Over the past, say, thirty years, the science of geography has continued to make important contributions to the study of archaeology. I guess this comes as no real surprise, since archaeology is usually in the earth, located somewhere in three-dimensions. Of late, say the last ten years, the statistical manipulation of spatial data has burgeoned into its own study: Geographic Information Systems.
This little book by David Wheatley and Mark Gillings attempts to provide your basic working archaeologist with the tools to build a baseline understanding of how GIS works. This book is not a description of how to use such typical programs as ArcView or GenaMap, but rather introduces the reader to the history and ideas underlying GIS.
