GIS and Electronic Submission Guidelines

GIS and Electronic Submission Guidelines The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) and the Society for Historical Archaeology have stipulated guidelines for the curation of archaeological data where archaeologists are obligated to maintain detailed archaeological records. These responsibilities are as important as the mission to protect sites or include descendent communities. The implementation of a “living documents” approach to GIS meets this goal, where a living document remains usable and useful after its initial creation. Datasets used in the creation of living documents should meet four criteria: 1. That the dataset remain accessible by more than one person; 2. That it can integrate with other types of data such as those from the natural sciences; 3. That it is easily updated with future research; 4. That it results in the creation of accompanying documentation. New projects will require the submission of shapefiles that should be in MSTM projection. Any site data (point and polygon) that is provided should include the Site Number for each site. Any report data (point, line, or polygon) should include the boundaries of the area surveyed and the title of the report so we know what report it goes to when we put it in the GIS. If transects are included in the GIS data, project boundaries must also be included as well as the MDAH report number. This data is requested so that MDAH may most accurately reflect survey coverage across the state. Metadata must include how the data was collected, the instrumentation and software used, and whether or not data was collected in the field or post-processed.