Archaeologist's tool wins $50,000 grant

University of Otago archaeologist Associate Prof Richard Walter (pictured with archeological...
University of Otago archaeologist Associate Prof Richard Walter (pictured with archeological material) reflects on a new software system used to manage archeological field data. Photo by Linda Robertson.
A University of Otago archaeologist's novel software tool that allows improved management of archaeological field data could also prove beneficial at some crime scenes or in organising complex museum exhibits.

The software approach has earned Associate Prof Richard Walter a $50,000 prize grant from the university's commercialisation arm, Otago Innovation.

Prof Walter, of the university's department of anthropology, gender and sociology, told the Otago Daily Times he was "very pleased" to gain the award, which would help with his research.

Prof Walter entered his "Excavation Manager" tool, known as ExMan, into Otago Innovation's latest Proof of Concept competition.

Everything picked up during a site excavation had to be accurately recorded, including its three-dimensional location, when it was collected, by whom and the nature of the object.

The amounts of data could be "colossal" - 20,000 to 30,000 records from a site.

"It's an unrepeatable exercise; you're dealing with unique New Zealand history, so you can't get it wrong," Prof Walter said.

Simple hand-held devices were used for data entry, with every artefact recorded immediately and the entry sent via a wireless connection to a central server on site, under the ExMan approach.

A unique barcode label was printed and stuck to the bagged item, which was tracked from field, through laboratory analysis and long-term storage.

Prof Walter, who is the first researcher from the Otago humanities division to win the grant, said he developed ExMan to provide solutions for fieldwork projects in which his research group, Southern Pacific Archaeological Research, was engaged.

New Zealand company Intergen had developed the underlying software solutions.

john.gibb@odt.co.nz

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