ATOR (Arc-Team Open Research).
The blog spreads tests, problems and results of Arc-Team research in archaeology, following the guidelines of the OpArc (Open Archaeology) project.
as I promised yesterday, I uploaded an English version of our contribution to ArcheoFOSS 2018. The title is "Archeorobotics. Open Robotic Applications in extreme archaeological conditions" and this paper is more detailed, since it explains the development of our archeorobotic equipment and the reason of several modifications, underlining at the same time the main benefits of using this kind of devices during extreme archaeology missions. Here is a direct link to this contribution on ResearchGate.
The ArcheoROV (A) and the ArcheoBoat (B) prototype and some results of their use in professional archaeological missions.
I hope this paper will be somehow useful in improving the discussion about the Archeorobotics and the use of Open Hardware in Archaeology.
this short post is to notify you that are finally online the conference proceedings of ArcheoFOSS 2018. As you probably know this conference is the Italian annual meeting of archaeologists who use and develop FLOSS (Free/Libre and Open Source Software). The proceedings of edition 2018 are published on the journal "Archeologia e Calcolatori" (EN: "Archaeology and Computers") and can be accessed here.
Our contribution, related with our experiences in archeorobotics, can be downloaded here (on ResearchGate).
Some photos of Arc-Team's archeorobotic devices in action
I will try to upload ASAP, here on ATOR, a more detailed version of this paper in English.
As you probably know, if you are a regular reader of ATOR, we have a kind of emotional connection with this event and, for this reason, we always try to follow the conference, possibly showing something new, related with our research in Open Archaeology.
The flyer of FOSS4G 2019
This year we will participate with three presentations:
" Free and open source Remote Piloting Aircraft System", with Luca Delucchi (Fondazione Edmund Mach)
"Participative models in archeology: Wiki e open access platforms", with Lucia Marsicano and Marco Montanari (Open History Map)
"Archeology and 3D in real-time, from the first applications to the SLAM algorithms. The state of the art in the open source world."
If someone of you will join the meeting, we can meet there :).
Have a nice day!
This is the second presentation we gave at ArcheoFOSS 2016. This time the topic is more related with geoarchaeology and regards geTTexture (the open source application we developed in order to speed up the sedimentation est).
Here below is the link to the original presentation, for the reader who wants to see it directly online:
For those who prefer to see it on youtube, I just uploaded it on our channel:
Like for last post, I report here below a short abstract, describing shortly each slide of the presentation:
SLIDE 1
Title and overview
SLIDE 2
Compiling the archaeological recording sheet is one of the most time-expensive operation during an archaeological project both doing it manually...
SLIDE 3
... or using a database.
SLIDE 4
Considering the Italian standards (ICCD, "Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione"), often new archaeologists have difficulties in describing the composition of the archaeological layer.
SLIDE 5 and 6
SLIDE 7 and 8
No particular difficulties are detected in describing the artificial elements.
SLIDE 9 and 10
A little bit more complicated is considered to describe the organic and oranogenic elements.
SLIDE 11 and 12
The most difficult field is considered the geological one.
SLIDE 13
Geological materials are splitted into two categories: skeleton and fine earth
SLIDE 14 and 15
The skeleton is normally simpler to identify (both in the field and in the lab).
SLIDE 16 and 17
The fine earth is maybe the most complicated archaeological element to identify on the field, while specialist (geoarchaeologists) need to use specific equipement in the lab.
SLIDE 18
Fine earth definition on the field is foten carried on with anametric and sobjective methodology.
SLIDE 19
Like feel, ball and ribbon test
SLIDE 20
The sedimentation test gives more objective results with a minimum metric value.
SLIDE 21
Arc-Team used validated the use of sedimentation test also in emergency excavation (which have a stricter time-table respect other archaeological projects)
SLIDE 22
Thank to +Mattia Segata (Arc-Team's geoarchaeologist at ATLAB), the basic methodology has been improved considering the Strokes' Law.
SLIDE 23
+Giuseppe Naponiello (Arc-Team DataBase and WebGIS expert) improved a PostreSQL dabatase, developed on the Italian archaeological recording sheet. The Database is able to integrate the data coming from the sedimentation test.
SLIDE 24
Future integration are planned for basic analytical chemistry analyses on the field.
SLIDE 25
And for more specific laboratory analyses (e.g. Energy Disperive X-ray Spectrometry).
SLIDE 26
The DataBase can be easily integrated into a WebGIS
SLIDE 27
The slides is just a demonstration of the software (the code is taken from a prototype).
SLIDE 28
The slide is just an example of one of the videotutorial Arc-Team is producing to explain the sedimentation test and the use of geTTexture.
SLIDE 29
geTTexture will be one of the open source application for archaeology which Arc-Team is developing and that will compose the suite Arc-Tool.
SLIDE 30
Another extension of geTTexture Arc-Team is working on is related with colorimetry. The idea is to integrate a tool to record anametric analyses
SLIDE 31
or metric data coming from Open Hardware devices (e.g. Public Lab spectrometer)
ArcheoFOSS 2016 is concluded. I will soon post a report about my impressions regarding the conference, but today I start with the less funny work of uploading the presentations we gave during the event.
The first project we presented regarded the "ArcheoROV, an Open Hardware ROV specifically designed for archaeological aims" and describes the Remotely Operated underwater Vehicle we developed in partnership with the Witlab of Rovereto (TN - Italy).
Here below is the link to the original presentation, for the reader who wants to see it directly online:
ArcheoROV is designed to satisfy specific needs of underwater archaeology
SLIDE 5
Since 2006 Arc-Team works on "archeorobotics" in order to solve specific archaeological problems. The research branch was started after an aerial archaeological project in Armenia.
SLIDE 6
After two years of research, a first prototype of Open Hardware UAV (project UAVP) was ready to work.
SLIDE 7
The last prototype of Open Hardware UAV in action (documentin WW1 evidences and and iron age site.
SLIDE 8
The Open Hardware 3D printer Fa)(a3D in action (printing the cast of an Homo georgicus from Dmanisi and a metal ring digitally recovered from the body of a Ptolemaic mummy).
SLIDE 9
Testing the OpenLab spectrometer.
SLIDE 10
ArcheoROV's first target: exploration.
SLIDE 11
ArcheoROV's first target: safety.
SLIDE 12
ArcheoROV's first target: extreme missions.
SLIDE 13
ArcheoROV's development time-line.
SLIDE 14
From ArcheoROV 0.1 to ArcheoROV 0.5
SLIDE 15
ArcheoROV 0.5 3D model
SLIDE 16
Open Hardware used or fabricated for the project
SLIDE 17
Open Software used for the project
SLIDE 18
The main strenghts of the prototype
SLIDE 19
Future improvements via ROS and SLAM.
SLIDE 20
Credits
SLIDE 21
A gallery of the first Open Water and Deep Water test in Sardinia (Italy).
this post is to notify that next ArcheoFOSS workshop (the eleventh edition) will be held in Cagliari, at the local university, by the Department of History, Cultural Heritage and Landscape (it: Dipartimento di storia, beni culturali e territorio). The meeting will take place from the 7th to the 9th October 2016 and the main topic will be: "Knowledges for communication. Tools and open technologies for the analysis and the sharing of our cultural and territorial heritage".
Pictures of Cagliari (by various users from flickr; CC-SA)
This year there will be some novelties and, among others, the fact that the workshop will be associated with the GFOSS Day, the annual meeting of the Italian Association of the Geographic Free Software (GFOSS).
The conference will be organized with three main sessions: the first day (7th October) will be dedicated to different workshop about Free and Open Source software used for geographical or cultural (and archaeological) aims; during the second day (8th October) some key-note speakers will present general topics (e.g. legislation about the use of open data and public data), while parallel sessions will host more specific arguments; the last day (9th October) will be focused on operative activities, like mapping parties and similar happenings (thanks to the association Sardegna Open Data).
If you are interested in proposing a contribution, here are the thematic guidelines:
FLOSS (Free/Libre and Open Source Software) applied to research (main topic: archeology, cultural heritage and landscape)
FLOSS for protection, management and development of archaeological, cultural or territorial heritage
FLOSS for visualization, analysis and web-publication of data realted with archeology, cultural heritage and landscape
Projects oriented in opening and sharing data (related with archeology, cultural heritage or landscape studies
Case studies of using FLOSS in order to develop and share territorial data
Experiences in opening and sharing geographic data (cultural, technological and legal aspsects
Experiences of institution (schools, universities, public administrations, etc...) in using free geographic software or migrating form closed software to FLOSS or hybrid systems
If you plan to join one of the two workshops, you need to send your proposal, using this module, to this address: archeofoss.gfoss2016@gmail.com Here you can download the call for papers.
For more informations, please visit the site of GFOSS Day and ArcheoFOSS.
Thanks to the effort of +Filippo Stanco and Giovanni Gallo, are now finally online (as Open Access) the proceedings of the eight ArcheoFOSS, which took place in Catania (at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science of the University) in 2013 (here the ATOR related post).
This is just another fast post to notify that we are going on in spreading all the proceedings of the workshop ArcheoFOSS as Open Access. This time, thanks to the effort of Francesca Cantone (University of Federico II - Napoli), we released the publication of the sixth meeting, which took place in Napoli in 2011. The doc is in PDF and it is available under a Creative Commons license at this link.
Here below is the front cover of the printed version, which can be ordered at this page.
this fast post is to notify that are finally available as Open Access the proceedings of the first workshop "Open Source, Free Software e Open Format nei processi di ricerca archeologici" (en: "Open Source, Free Software and Open Format in archaeological reasearch precesses"), which in the later editions will be known as ArcheoFOSS. The event took place in Grosseto in May 2006.
Since Open Access in archeology has always been one of the main topics of this workshop, some days ago we started a discussion on the official mailing list to try to free some of the proceedings which are actually available just as printed publications. The first result has been the release of the articles collected in the first edition, thanks to the kindness of Giancarlo Macchi Janica. Currently we are working on the other two workshops which are not yet available: ArcheoFOSS V (held in Foggia in 2010) and ArcheoFOSS VI (held in Neaples in 2011).
The image below shows the front cover of the digital publication of the proceedings of the first edition, while here you can read the official announcement about the Open Access publication (pdf here).
Front cover of proceedings of the first workshop "Open Source, Free Software e Open Format nei processi di ricerca archeologici"
A special thanks also to +Stefano Costa for uploading everything on ArcheoFOSS website.
for who is interested, the deadline of the 9th edition of the ArcheoFOSS has been extended till April 25. Here is the official report (from +piergiovanna grossi):
"IX Workshop Free / Libre and Open Source Software and Open Format in the archaeological research processes.
From survey to data sharing. Technologies , methodologies and languages of open archeology.
Verona , 19-20 June 2014 (IT)
To encourage the submission of proposals,
the deadline has been extended till
April 25. The organizing committee's aim is to support the broadest participation in the joint
construction of a workshop of increasing quality, hoping that new
proposals can be submitted by scholars, researchers,
students, professionals, archaeological companies and associations, working in the field of Cultural Heritage and the FLOSS application.For proposal submission, please refer to the Call for proposals page.For more informations on the workshop, you can visit the page of ArcheoFOSS 2014."
The Arena of Verona (CC-BY-SA 3.0, author: Lo Scaligero)
Hi all,
today I simply post the call for paper of the ArcheoFOSS 2014, which will be held in Verona. The text below has been written by +piergiovanna grossi, of the committee thatis organizing the event:
The logo of ArcheoFOSS workshops (done by +Paolo Cignoni)
IX Workshop Free/Libre and Open Source Software and Open Format in
the processes of archaeological research
From research to shared knowledge. Technologies, methodologies and
language of open archaeology
Verona, 19-20th June 2014
The IX Workshop ArcheoFOSS will be hosted by the Department Time, Space,
Image and Society and Department of Computer Science, University of
Verona. The workshop will focus on the use of free and open source
software and on the opening and sharing of data related to archeology
and cultural heritage. Key topics range from field research activities,
to analysis and lab studies, to sharing and dissemination via web,
including the presentation of excavation, research, study activities and
of projects aimed at data processing and dissemination.
The thematic lines are:
- FLOSS systems and tools in archaeological and cultural heritage research;
- FLOSS systems and tools in management, preservation and enhancement of
archaeological and cultural heritage;
- FLOSS systems of representation, analysis, sharing and web publishing
of archaeological and cultural heritage;
- Projects focused on opening and disseminating archaeological and
cultural heritage data.
Workshop sessions, in which the proposals may be included, are:
1 . talks
2 . seminars / workshops
3 . presentations of dissertations or small projects in progress
4 . barcamp
5 . install party or programming section
6 . other ( to be specified by the proposer )
Proposals will be included in the program based on contents, quality of
work and number of proposals received.
The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2014 , at 24.00.
This post is to share the presentation I did in Catania (Sicily), during the ArcheoFOSS 2013. The topic is the Taung Project, analyzed from a free and open source point of view. This experience, in fact, has been a perfect pilot project of "open research", developed with open tools and sharing at the same time knowledge and data.
I will not dwell any further on the topic of the presentation in this post, being this subject described in the video below...
Secondary, the software I used for the slides, which is the object of most of the questions I have been asked after the presentation :). Well, this program is called impress.js and it is released under the MIT and GPL licenses. Here you can see an example of what you can do with this tool and here is the source code.
That's all for now. I hope that the discussion about the concept of "open research" will go on with new contributes... Stay tuned :).
If I givea cointo youand you givemea coin, each of us will havea coin, butif I givean ideato youand you givemean idea, than each of us will have twoideas.
(Chinese proverb)
Hi all,
the deadline for ArcheoFOSS workshop 2013 (open source, free software and open format in archaeological research processes) has been extended (if you do not know this meeting, see this previous post).
It is possible to submit paper proposal until April 15th, while suggestions for special sessions will be accepted till the 5th of the same month.
The main topics for the workshop 2013 will be:
Methods and experiencesof collaboration betweendifferent organizations and institutionsin the fieldof cultural heritage,involvingthe useand the development ofopen source, free software and openformat.
Methods andexperience usingopen source, open data, free software and openformatin archeology andICT.
Methods, experiencesand developmentof technological toolsduring opencollaborationsbetweenmultidisciplinaryresearch areas(humanities and science)in the field cultural heritage.
Contributionson thestate of the artandproposals for regulationsandlaws, relating to the managementand sharingof cultural heritagein order to supportfree communication, accessibility andenjoyment.
The workshop will take place in Catania (Sicily) on 18 and 19 June. As it happened with the previousevent,it will be an excellentopportunity to discuss andexchange ideas, knowledge and technologyin the fieldof openarcheology.
I always liked this Linux commercial, it makes you believe that anything is possible... and, in a way, sometimes it is.
When I think how the workshop ArcheoFOSS started, I find it incredible that it will reach its eighth edition.
It was 2005 and we were sitting on a table of Cafe Einstein in Vienna:
"The decision to start this workshop was taken one evening in November 2005 at Cafe Einstein (a few steps from Vienna town hall), during the conference “Archäologie und Computer 2005:
Workshop 10” (Böener W., 2006), together with Alessandro Bezzi, Luca Bezzi and Denis Francisci of Arc-Team. The idea behind the proposal to realize the workshop was mainly to take stock of the situation regarding the application of Free/Libre and Open Source Software philosophy to archeology." [Introduction to the first workshop proceedings, Grosseto 2006 - edited by G. Macchi Janica and R. Bagnara]
Nevertheless, here we are! The eighth edition of ArcheoFOSS will be held in Catania on 18 and 19 June 2013, organized by Giovanni Gallo and Filippo Stanco of the Image Processing Lab (Catania University).
The elephant, symbol of Catania (and PostgreSQL)
To celebrate the event, I made a short video showing the path of the workshop from Vienna to Catania. It is a kind of "Fligth of the penguin" in archeology, through eight years and more than 3742 Km.
For FLOSS nerds, I made the video with OpenShot Video Editor, simply using the animate title option called "World Map" (thanks to Luca Delucchi for the tip!)
See you in Catania!
with a big delay I uploaded the slides of the official presentation of ArcheOS 4 (Caesar) beta release, during the ArcheoFOSS VII, which took place in Rome (23 and 23 June 2012). The file can be seen here (Academia) or here (Researchgate).
With our contribute we tried to satisfy the scientific committee guidlines, illustrating not only the new software integrated in ArcheOS, but also the archaeological methodology connected with the system. We also presented some projects in which ArcheOS has been used, the community feedbacks and a preview of the future developments.
I would like to thank both Roberto Angeletti (aka BobMax) and Alessandro Furieri (SpatiaLite) for the fruitful discussions in Rome.
Yesterday I was looking the statistics regarding this blog and I noticed that one of the most popular post is the one about the automatic drawing technique we (Alessandro Bezzi, Simone Cavalieri and me) proposed some years ago. I noticed as well that i forgot to upload in Arc-Team's open library the presentation we did in Foggia (for ArcheoFOSS 5) about this argument (sorry, just in Italian by now...). Now the link is active and you can download the presentation here, or in Academia.edu.
As the slides are in Italian I summarize here the experiment we did in that occasion. We divided archaeological finds in four classes, looking which kind of documentation normally they need.
Then we developed a five steps techniques to get the appropriate documentation for each class in a automatic or semi-automatic way (using only FLOSS, of course):
Here is an image with the original picture of the archaeological finds we used as test and the final layout.
All the finds come from the excavation in the church of S. Andrea in Storo (TN - Italy) and gave us positive results (I just used to many points in stippler for the drawing of the pottery... anyway it is now easy to change this parameter with the new python interface Alessandro developed).
In the slides you will also find our first test on Lena picture:
The image has nothing to do with sexism, she is just o kind of standard since 70's for raster images tests... by the way she is beautiful :)
2016-04-28 Post updated
In 2010 we wrote an article (in Italian) about this technique:
"Proposta per un metodo informatizzato di disegno archeologico" (here in ResearchGate and here in Academia).
