From Virtual Globes to ArcheoGIS: Determining the Technical and Practical Feasibilities

Abstract

Web mapping and virtual globes are increasingly used to communicate 3D geospatial results to fellow researchers and the public. The lack of analytical functionality nonetheless restricts their utility in research, including archaeology. Integrating both 3D and analytical functionalities should result in a 4D archaeological GIS that can be used throughout the archaeological workflow. This paper investigates the feasibility of extending a virtual globe to such a user-friendly system. This involves a technical assessment by comparing the characteristics of virtual globes with user, data, functional, and organizational requirements. The prototypical implementation consequently uses Cesium® as basis. This prototype served for the practical feasibility evaluation. The usability test with two Flemish archaeological organizations has shown broad support for a low-threshold 4D ArcheoGIS from its potential end-users. Although public activities, analyses, and fieldwork preparations were mentioned as application domains, extending the system to fit archaeological workflows or a cyberinfrastructure is necessary.