New Simulation Tools for the Design and Assessment of Subsurface Testing Programs: Dig It Design It and Dig It Check It

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Novel Statistical Techniques in Archaeology II (QUANTARCH II)" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

There is a general awareness among archaeologists that the intensity of a sampling program, i.e. the number of pits, their size and their spacing, has a strong bearing on discovery rates. However, rarely is the effect of this relationship explicitly assessed due to the difficulty of running the required mathematical models. This poster presents two simulation models: Dig It Design It and Dig It Check It which allow the archaeologist to easily design and assess subsurface testing programs using statistical modelling. Both models are available online, are very easy to use, and no mathematical knowledge is required to run them. These models have the potential to dramatically increase the use of statistically defensible sampling programs within the archaeological community, to improve site discovery rates, and to improve interpretations based on subsurface sampling by revealing the capabilities and limitations inherent in any subsurface sampling strategy.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Novel Statistical Techniques in Archaeology II (QUANTARCH II)   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24441