Articles by Paolo Sommella

In the early 1990s the author brought attention to the fact that the Carta Archeologica d’Italia - due to the entity of the project which involved all of the national territory and the time required for the relative research - was in urgent need of a structural updating, through an effective system of access to the results. These demands were of a nature that only a correct use of computer technologies could guarantee in real operational time. In that period, only a few advanced experimental peaks of topographic research actually included the automatic transition of information from the phase of terrain reading to that of operational planning feasibility. Since then, many scientific projects have been devoted to locating and documenting tangible and intangible cultural heritage in Italy. However, we still have to deal with the problem of adopting common platforms to share information and make use of cartographic systems in a GIS environment, regardless of the symbols being used in the documentation phase as well as in the interpretive phase. The same information can be turned from geographical points into plan details, through an automatic scale conversion and with a scientific perspective available for the requirements of different user environments. The author concludes by remarking on the urgent need of a convergence of competences from specialised sectors. Nevertheless, modern research, while taking advantage of the co-operation of a wide range of experts, should always consider that results coming from different points of observation pertain to the observers’ specific field and should not be "invasive" but respectful of their methods.

Between 1989 and 1992, studies and experiments on automatic systems for the acquisition, calculation and management of archaeological data relating to the Carta Archeologica d’Italia (Forma Italiae) were carried out. The different phases of application confirmed the methodological assumptions originally outlined in the first issue of this journal: from the use of a GPS system to locate the archaeological survey station, to the exploitation of particular functions of commercial geodetic software, and to the strengthening of the value of an approach whose “natural” end consists in creating a Geographic Information System for archaeology.

The application of computer science and advanced technologies to the topographical management of archaeological data have made it possible, in the last five years, to adjust an instrument of a strong tradition, such as the “Forma Italiae”, to the new requirements for the planning and protection of a territory. From the application of digital mapping to historical cities, the management of territorial archaeological data, satellite survey and multimedia distribution of information, the development outlook becomes gradually broader, respecting however, the methodological progress achieved during a century of tradition in historical topographical studies.