Subject and Course Guides: Anthropology: GIS for Anthropology & Archaeology

Accessing GIS Tools

There are a number of GIS tools available on the market. As a UTA student, you have access to ArcGIS Online (cloud-based software) through your web browser or ArcGIS Pro (installed software) on any library computer. ArcGIS Pro may also be available on other campus computers outside of the library. There is also an open source product called QGIS which is free for anyone to use.

ArcGIS Pro is paid commercial software that is being made available to you through UTA. After graduation you will need to purchase a license from Esri (the company that owns/develops ArcGIS) to continue to use the software. On the other hand, QGIS will remain available to you even after you graduate because it is a publicly available open-source product. It looks different from the various Esri products that are on the market, but it can do many of the same things.

CLICK HERE for a brief description of the difference between ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online and how they interact

ArcGIS Online for UTA
Log in using your UTA credentials. Navigate to different tools and features using the bar at the top.
QGIS
Official site to download QGIS. This is a free open source GIS option.

Examples of Interactive GIS Maps

GIS can be used in a variety of formats including

Dashboards- Maps that can display data in a variety of ways depending on need. Think of your typical crime map or a map that shows different kinds of state, county, or city boundaries that you can toggle on and off.
Story Maps- Maps that are embedded in websites that tell a story about history or society. These are usually public facing and designed to be highly engaging. You could display the results of a academic research project using a Story Map.
Apps- If you or a user needs GIS to perform certain narrowly defined tasks, an app might meet those needs.

Arlington Story Maps
Highly engaging Story Maps that offer a series of true to life glimpses into Arlington’s Historic Landmarks using interactive GIS tools.
To Carve
To Carve takes a look at the monuments and markers at Oakwood Cemetery in the city of Austin, TX. Attention is given to the shapes, symbols and carved details found in the different types of stone within the cemetery grounds.
Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office
An online viewer for Connecticut’s cultural resources inventory. Simple and functional. Clear directions for use are provided on the right. See if you can figure out how to add a map from 1625 as a layer.
Library of Congress Geospatial Applications
The Hub is designed to provide an entry point to Library of Congress geospatial products within ArcGIS Online, enabling thousands of digital map enthusiasts to discover resources by browsing or searching.

GIS in Archaeology and Anthropology

A couple of recent examples of how GIS might be used or talked about in academic contexts in archaeology and anthropology.

Participatory Mapping and Participatory GIS for Historical and Archaeological Landscape Studies: a Critical Review
This article presents participatory mapping (PM) and Participatory Geographical Information Systems (PGIS) approaches as an appropriate and still developing kind of community-based spatial study in archaeology. For local communities, this approach helps them to be incorporated as active subjects in the registration and interpretation of their cultural heritage, as well as in the defense and management of it. At the same time, archaeological studies are enriched by incorporating contemporary perspectives and local people’s knowledge into interpretations of past landscapes.
Seen but Not Told: Re-mapping Great Zimbabwe Using Archival Data, Satellite Imagery and Geographical Information Systems
The world renowned site of Great Zimbabwe is one of the most globally significant archaeological sites in Africa. Ironically, this importance is not matched by the little amount of information that is known about such an iconic site. The heritage of this regrettable situation was birthed by the destructive activities of late nineteenth and early twentieth century antiquarians who vandalised tons of evidence without record. nal excavations began. Motivated by the need to understand the site in new ways, research was initiated to revisit the site's patchy and scattered archives and to supplement them with field surveys. This paper discusses the re-mapping of the site which, for the first time, comprehensively produced themed layers of spatial, chronological and material culture distribution.