Articles by Enzo Cocca

2024 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Extended Matrix Manager: an open tool for EM based knowledge graphs management

Simone Berto, Emanuel Demetrescu, Enzo Cocca

Abstract

The following contribution aims at presenting a new free and open source software, EM Manager, created to assist archaeologists at approaching virtual reconstruction projects with the Extended Matrix (method developed at the Digital Heritage Innovation Lab - DHILab - of the CNR-ISPC of Rome). EM Manager is a free and open source standalone software, already available on GitHub, that allows to convert a table into an Extended Matrix. The software represents a remarkable update of the Extended Matrix Framework and, due to its features, it will expand the user base, since it helps EM users to cover one, or more, of the ‘7 key roles’ considered by the Extended Matrix method. In addition, the fact that EM Manager is Python based ensures the possibility for future implementation with other platforms (such as QGIS and Blender) based on the same language.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2024, 35.2, 167-176; doi: 10.19282/ac.35.2.2024.18

2016 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Analisi statistiche e geostatistiche con PyArchInit: prima sperimentazione

Enzo Cocca, Luca Mandolesi

Abstract

The analysis of the spatial distribution of archaeological records combined with geostatistical techniques plays a primary role in the field of prehistoric archaeology because this methodological approach can be used to understand if a real or chance spatial correlation exists between archaeological records. This essay presents an approach to this issue which makes use of statistics, databases and GIS open source tools in a one-solution instrument based on QGIS desktop environment, in order to study an important archaeological site in Northern Italy (Fumane Cave, Verona). Since archaeology is an intrinsically spatial discipline, the team chose a spatial quantitative approach like the multivariate geostatistics (which is usually used for mining and environmental analysis), by managing the quantitative fieldwork information as regionalized variables. In this way, interesting spatial correlations were evaluated by imposing linear coregionalization models on experimental semivariograms and cross-semivariograms. Moreover, the team conducted this analysis by creating a tool that integrates several powerful R libraries such as Gstat for spatial distribution analysis of data, implemented in DBMS PostgreSQL with PostGIS extension.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2016, Supplemento 8, 132-140

2013 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Tecnologie digitali integrate per lo studio del sito archeologico di Adulis (Eritrea)

Giulio Bigliardi, Sara Cappelli, Enzo Cocca

Abstract

The Adulis Project started in 2011, directed by the Ce.RDO in collaboration with the Centre for GeoTechnologies of the University of Siena and the National Museum of Eritrea. The project aims to investigate and promote the cultural heritage of the ancient port site of Adulis, one of the most important archaeological sites in Eritrea and East Africa. The paper presents the results of the first two campaigns. First of all, we analyzed the satellite imagery to identify traces of buried archaeological elements. Then, three excavation areas were opened to unearth some of the structures already identified in the excavations of the last century, as well as to investigate the stratigraphy of the site in areas where archaeological excavations have never been conducted. In conclusion, a GPS survey was conducted on the whole area to elaborate a detailed map of the site, to create a DEM and to position all the archaeological structures that are visible on the surface. All the stratigraphic, topographic and cartographic data were managed in an open source GIS, based on the combination of the desktop mapping software Quantum GIS and the plugin pyArchInit.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2013, 24, 139-162; doi: 10.19282/ac.24.2013.07

2013 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

PyArchInit: gli sviluppi dopo ArcheoFoss 2009

Luca Mandolesi, Enzo Cocca

Abstract

The Project pyArchInit-Python for archaeology began in 2005 with the aim of developing a python plug-in for the open source software Quantum GIS. pyArchInit comes mainly from the needs, increasingly present in the archaeology community, to computerize the archaeological records using software which handle alphanumeric, multimedia and topographical data in a single solution. This package aims to meet these requirements with a unique solution that over time guarantees stability, development, easy installation and updating. The final goal is the creation of a GIS platform with a high interoperability between different operating systems, in which alphanumerical tables, GIS geometries and multimedia data are within a single system. This allows us to maintain the integrity of the raw data as much as possible, providing the archaeologist with an approach which is both very fast and powerful and, in the meantime, offering a system open to changes and customizations by other developers. The database management system of archaeological data is automatically installed both in PostgreSQL and in Spatialite. Different user interfaces, created to support the entering of data, manage the database. It is structured in seven management user interfaces: Stratigraphic Units, Site, Chronology, Infrastructures, Taphonomy Record, Archaeological, Multimedia. The first part of the package includes the management of stratigraphic units (pyarchnit_US module) because of the need to manage on site the documentation of excavations in progress. With pyArchInit we will try to bridge the gap between skills and knowledge acquired on an academic level and daily life in archaeological fieldwork; moreover, it will help the interaction with engineers, urban planners, government, Cultural Office administrators and all the agencies that gravitate around the archaeological world.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2013, Supplemento 4, 128-138

2013 Open Access Article Download PDF BibTeX

Il sito di Adulis (Eritrea): raccolta e gestione dei dati archeologici tramite software open source

Giulio Bigliardi, Sara Cappelli, Enzo Cocca

Abstract

The Adulis Project started in 2011, directed by the Ce.RDO in collaboration with the Centre for Geotechnologies of the University of Siena and the National Museum of Eritrea. The project aims to investigate and promote the cultural heritage of the ancient port site of Adulis, one of the most important archaeological sites in Eritrea and East Africa. The first two fieldwork seasons revealed a detailed stratigraphic sequence and massive walls, which required a complex documentation, highlighting the need for a system for managing data in a GIS platform, in which to collect all the stratigraphic, topographic and cartographic data. In the early stage, the project team used a commercial GIS software, ESRI ArcGIS, but with the progress of the work, the team soon realized that the application did not meet the required needs. In particular, the high licensing costs made it problematic to install and share data within the research team, especially for the Eritrean colleagues. It was therefore decided to seek an alternative solution adopting the open source plug-in pyArchInit, as it is a pre-prepared and already successfully tested software in several context and is perfectly in line with the needs which emerged during the work.

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2013, Supplemento 4, 222-227