CAA Power Point LShaw

“There’s an App for that”: How can smartphones improve the ergonomics of landscape study, analysis

and interpretation?

A Landscape Archaeology, GIS and Virtual Environments Masters Dissertation

By Lawrence Shaw

University of Birmingham

Introduction

Landscape Archaeology

Stonehenge

Archaeology Data Service

Smartphones

Apple iOSApplications

Quick Response

Codes

Landscape Theory

Second Space Thinking:

“A theoretical school that provides conceptualisationof space and landscapes, looking at aspects such as spatiality in mental or cognitive forms.”

(Exon et al, 2000).

First Space Thinking:

‘‘All one really needs to understand what one is looking at when one ventures into the countryside is a countryman’s eye and a good par of boots.”

(Hoskins, 1988)

Third Space Thinking:

“Aims to critically, but sympathetically, deconstruct and reconstruct First and Secondspace thinking to an ontology associated with historicality, sociality and spatiality.’”

(Soja, 1996).

The ADS and Stonehenge

Over a period of 7 days in April 2011, the ADS saw 527,484 successful

requests for data from across the globe, with 67.04 gigabytes being

downloaded

• Over 880,000 visitors just at Stonehenge in 2008

• 100,000 increase every 10 years

• 38.6 square kilometer around the World Heritage Site.

• Over 1900 records recorded within the study area held by the ADS.

Smartphones and Applications

Load Screen

Interface

Icon

QR Codes

Aims and Objectives

Aim:• Test the utility of smartphones in assisting non-specialists to interpret and

explore an archaeological landscape.

Objectives: • Develop a user friendly and informative heritage based application for the

Stonehenge landscape from data provided by the ADS. Based on those produced by the National Trust and English Heritage, this will have a map-based interface, with information pins identifying monuments and as well as providing information on the users location. From this it will be assessed if the application could aid one or more of the different schools of thinking put forward by Soja.

• Create a number of QR Codes for monuments found within the Stonehenge landscape. These will direct users to a pre-made web page hosting monument descriptions as provided by the ADS and appropriate photographs. From this it will be assessed if the codes could aid one or more of the different schools of thinking put forward by Soja.

• Assess whether smartphones provide an adequate platform for interpreting and understanding a landscape.

Methodology - Application

Mapping and satellite imagery and user location

Information pins and clustering

Flow diagram identifying the different outputs and inputs for this projects application.

Methodology – QR Codes

Field Testing and Results

Field Testing and Results

QR Code Hits

QR Code Table of Results

Period of Data collection:

17/07/2011 - 01/08/2011

Number of Unique Visitors:

37

Individual Monument Hits Most Visiting

Countries

Most Used Operating

Systems

Monuments Number of hits Country Number of hits Operating System Number of hits

Stonehenge 16 United Kingdom 25 iPhone OS 29

Woodhenge 4 United States 6 Unknown 3

The Avenue 4 Germany 2 Android 3

Cursus Barrow Group 3 European Union 2 Symbian OS 1

Durrington Walls 3 Netherlands 2 Windows 1

The Greater Cursus 3

Bush Barrow 2

The Cuckoo Stone 1

King Barrow Ridge 1

Critical Evaluation of MethodologyData

Critical Evaluation of Methodology

Application

Critical Evaluation of Methodology

QR Codes

Discussion

• One way / closed discussion

• Standard archaeological text creates a closure on the subject and any debate shuts down.

• Stay in one place

• Is this true when used in the field?

• Secondspace Thinking?

Applications and landscape archaeology

Discussion

• Two way discussion

• Muddy Boots

• Standard archaeological text creates a closure on the subject and any debate shuts down.

• Firstspace Thinking?

‘By writing and illustrating the past, this data is not a simply transparent, neutral and value free vehicle for transmitting information or ‘facts’ for others to passively consume. Rather they are creative and

empowering acts that actively produce rather than simply transmit what we call the past between writer and readers.’ (Bender et all, 2007).

QR codes and landscape archaeology

Conclusion and Further Work

Thirdspace Thinking

Thank You

www.petermumford.com