Lone Mountain Archaeological Services
Mapping and Geographic Information Systems
Lone Mountain’s staff uses state-of-the-art equipment to complete field mapping and gather and analyze spatial information using Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Field mapping is accomplished using Global Positioning System (GPS) units that provide accurate positions at one-second intervals. Database entries are downloaded from the GPS units for data processing, and are used to produce CAD maps showing site boundaries and excavation gridlines. When archaeological models are required, the database is used for GIS data conversion, which allows integration of disparate, spatially related datasets. A singular strength of GIS is that multiple datasets can be readily compared and additions to the database can be easily made. Lone Mountain is currently using GIS as a tool to store spatial archaeological data collected from Fort Bliss into a structured format to meet future curation requirements for data retrieval and data analysis.
