Articles by Maria Letizia Gualandi

Data and the possibility to circulate and spread them are the key infrastructure of archaeology. Part of the (interpretative) information underlying data is connected to the know-how of each single researcher. Data, instead, are firm points. In this paper, we describe how open data can be used for determining the archaeological potential. We used a sizable number of datasets, in order to consider the problem of estimation of archaeological potential in all of its aspects: archaeological, historical, and geomorphological data. As the identification of relations among finds is a key issue in archaeological interpretation process, we applied a modified version of the PageRank algorithm. The procedure included a categorization of archaeological data, the assignment of initial values of potential to the available data, the creation of geomorphological maps, the definition of functional areas (i.e. the levels of spatial and functional organization: urban, suburban and rural areas), and the application of the PageRank based algorithm. The model has been applied on the urban area of Pisa, and tested through the data of 14 new cores. The map of archaeological potential consists of the composition of the 7 layers, one for each archaeological period under consideration. The results, including the archaeological potential map, are to be considered as the first steps towards an automatic, formally definable, and repeatable approach to the computation of archaeological potential.

An archaeological excavation is an unrepeatable practice. The only action that can be reproduced and re-analysed is the continuous use of raw data. Data sharing, therefore, is the only way to understand and re-examine the archaeological interpretative process and to answer questions regarding new surveys. Data do not circulate freely in Italian archaeology today. In order to make open data searchable (and, therefore, usable), they must be entered in open archives. Only the free access to raw data, based upon an Open Data approach, will allow a further step to be taken towards 2.0 archaeology. The idea of creating an Italian open digital archaeological archive, using data from the urban area of Pisa as case-study, originated from the MAPPA project (Methodologies Applied to Archaeological Potential Predictivity). The main objectives of the MAPPA Open Data (MOD) archive will be to allow simple and free access to all archaeological data (of any type or size) and to guarantee a digital lifecycle for as long as possible.

Due to the recommencing of methodical archaeological excavation on the site of Nora, first Phoenician then Punic and Roman town, situated on the southern coast of Sardinia approximately 30 Km west of Cagliari, it was necessary to establish a cartographic system extended to all the hill on which the settlement standed (the settlement had never been completely mapped). This system had to cover previously surveyed areas and to allow the continuous updating with data resulting from new excavations. With these requirements, a computerised cartographic system was created, which consisted of basic information regarding not only the archaeological remains, but also the modern topography and the morphology of the hill. The aim was to design an operating system practical both for research and for safeguarding the archaeological site and allowing planning of its infrastructure. The project has been carried out in several phases: a) planning of the cartographical base; b) aerial survey of the zone; c) aerophotogrammetric zone; d) implementation of the numerical cartographic system; e) layout of the archives. The aerophotogrammetric information produced numerical files containing 3D data for every mapped point; using this data it was possible to create 3D models whose use is not only for archaeological research but also for aiding in planning for future infrastructural intervention in the archaeological park.