CAA Conference

Non-destructive geospatial survey methods for the interpretation of archaeological sites have become increasingly more popular within the last decade due to the significant technological progress in equipment and data processing techniques. Individual methods can contribute pieces of invaluable archaeological information in fine resolutions and with higher accuracy than ever before, while the synergistic application of different geospatial approaches has proved capable of offering new possibilities for archaeological interpretation; the integration of datasets deriving from a variety of different survey methods can increase the interpretive value of results produced by individual techniques, and offers enriched visualizations and analyses of the sites under investigation, which were not previously possible without destructive intervention. This paper will discuss the management, integration, visualization and analysis of data collected with the use of multi-method non-destructive approaches at the Roman site of Ammaia within the framework of the EU funded project "Radiography of the past" (Radio-Past -www2.radiopast.eu/). To date, archeological research at Ammaia has offered an unusually large amount of diverse multidimensional datasets derived from geophysical survey (magnetometry, electrical resistance, GPR survey), topographic survey (total station, DGPS survey), aerial photography, excavation, terrestrial laser scanning, and 3D reconstruction of buried architectural remains. This very rich data collection makes the site an illuminating case study for examining various issues associated with the application of integrative geospatial approaches in archaeology. This paper will focus upon the integration of 2D and 3D datasets, data fusion methods, as well as the possibilities offered by commercial, free and open source software for enriched data interpretations.