Mediterranean Archaeology GIS now on-line (MAGIS 1.0)

The Collaboratory for GIS and Mediterranean Archaeology (CGMA) is pleased to announce the release of its on-line, browser-based GIS inventory of regional archaeological surveys in the greater Mediterranean area. Viewable by spatial (interactive map) search or database query, this resource intends to serve as an essential reference for information about completed and ongoing regional archaeological surveys. Hundreds of surveys have been undertaken since the development of this technique over four decades ago.
However, MAGIS is the first attempt to catalog their metadata, such
as: project name, researchers, methodologies, geographic coordinates, chronological coverage, special studies (e.g., lithics or epigraphy), bibliography, and the environmental characteristics of the study areas. MAGIS will be a valuable tool for archaeologists, ancient historians, anthropologists and sociologists interested in comparing long-term historical trends and research techniques over broad areas of the ancient Mediterranean. It also has ancillary uses as a basic mapping resource for the Mediterranean world; the CGMA team will add further useful layers (e.g., ancient cities, Roman provinces) to the GIS in future releases. Also, many projects provide links to satellite imagery of the survey areas via Flash Earth. The map topography is currently at 1 km. resolution, but in the next release we plan to be able to use 90 m. data.

MAGIS is located here:
http://cgma.depauw.edu/MAGIS/

It supports these browsers (check the on-line Help file for details):
Internet Explorer 6.0+, Mozilla FireFox 1.5+, Safari 1.3+ Please ensure that pop-up windows are NOT blocked, and that JavaScript is enabled.

MAGIS is a component of the CGMA project (http://cgma.depauw.edu/), a joint teaching and research initiative of DePauw University, Millsaps College, Rhodes College, and the College of Wooster, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and now sponsored by NITLE (http:// www.nitle.org/). The Principal Investigators are:
P. Foss and R. Schindler (DePauw). The Co-PIs are: M. Galaty (Millsaps), K. Morrell (Rhodes), and P. Nick Kardulias (Wooster). Our programmer is M. Beth Wilkerson of the GIS Center at DePauw University.

Most of the metadata for the survey projects has been entered by our undergraduate students. Currently there are 272 entries. We know that there are errors and gaps, in part because we have not been able to access all relevant publications; in part because some information (particularly the bounding coordinates of a survey), are not always specified in a publication; in part because we have not yet investigated all the relevant countries. Some are just our fault. We will work to fix them, and we welcome comments and suggestions.

We have also not included any surveys from the British Isles, because of the sheer volume of material, and because many projects there are listed by the Archaeology Data Service (http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/). We may do so in the future.

We would like to ask the scholars responsible for their survey projects to check and correct (or enter) the information about their project(s). An extensive on-line help file explains how to navigate and use the site, as well as exactly what we mean by our metadata categories (for example, how we characterize various survey methodologies or environmental variables).

A large, detailed and up-to-date database will help all of us involved in Mediterranean survey. How can you help?

(1) Researchers may send in corrections or additions for a project already in the database to: cgma@depauw.edu

(2) Those wishing to enter metadata for a project not yet listed can register to do so through the Data Entry page at: http:// cgma.depauw.edu/MAGIS/DB_Admin/db_submit/register.php
Metadata entered in this way will be stored in a holding database until vetted and released to the online database by CGMA personnel.
This is primarily a way to protect the core database.

(3) Comment on any aspect of the resource that you think could be
improved: cgma @ depauw.edu

• Remember: MAGIS does not include any project _data_; only project _metadata_ (information about a project, its area, its aims, and its studies). It does not constitute 'publication' of a project in any way.

• If you are interested in adaptation or development of the open- source code we have used to build CGMA, please let us know at cgma@depauw.edu.

• This spring, P. Foss of DePauw University will be available to demonstrate the system to colleagues at universities and governmental agencies across Europe. Look for a forthcoming email about scheduling a visit to your institution.

• Finally, CGMA is also open to partnerships with graduate programs and graduate students to facilitate the further development, testing and use of this resource. Please contact us at cgma@depauw.edu if you would like to know more, or if you have comments, questions, or criticisms.

Please spread the word about this new research tool, and thanks for your patience, as our servers and programming experience their first large-scale test of operability.

Thank you.

Pedar Foss and Rebecca Schindler