Overview: MayaArch3D - A Web-based 3D-GIS for the Analysis of the Archaeology of Copan, Honduras

Summary

The documentation and analysis of complex archaeological sites constitutes a challenge for modern research. Large amounts of data have to be stored and accessed, normally by different research teams, based on places all over the world. Funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), and in cooperation with partners from Germany, Italy, USA and Honduras, the MayaArch3D project is using data from the Maya site Copan, Honduras, to develop a state-of-the-art, open source, online system for the documentation and analysis of complex archaeological sites. The data, different in kind and resolution, include text and numerical information, raster data, vector data, 2.5D surface models, and 3D models of objects, architecture and landscape. The system combines the database functions with the analytical functions of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) into one single platform. On the backend of our system, a Filemaker Pro database contains the archaological attributes for each digital object and two PostGreSql databases that hold the geometries for 3D objects and 2D shapefiles. On the front end, the public sees a 2D geobrowser, a 3D geobrowser, and a Single Object Viewer. A user management system offers different security levels, with both a public and password log-in.

SAA 2015 abstracts made available in tDAR courtesy of the Society for American Archaeology and Center for Digital Antiquity Collaborative Program to improve digital data in archaeology. If you are the author of this presentation you may upload your paper, poster, presentation, or associated data (up to 3 files/30MB) for free. Please visit http://www.tdar.org/SAA2015 for instructions and more information.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• MayaArch3D: Building a 3DWebGIS Documentation and Analysis System for Complex Archaeological Sites   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage