Site Recorder 4 Tour: Introduction
Site Recorder is a computer program used to record and publish information about maritime and intertidal archaeology sites. The information is recorded as a collection of 'objects' and Site Recorder can contain many different types of objects in large collections. Some of the objects contain information about things found on the site like finds and structure while other objects are used to create site plans, section drawings and artefact drawings.
Related objects can be linked together to make finding information easy. Collections of objects can be grouped together, for example all of the artefacts recovered in one season can be put together on the same Layer. But objects of different types can also be linked, so an Artefact object may be linked to the Dive Log object for the dive when the find was recovered and that Dive Log may be linked to the Contact object containing information about the person who did the dive.
Site Recorder 4 can record:
- Archaeology objects: Artefacts, Features and Sectors, Samples
This program can record information about both the location of a find, artefact or ecofact and its properties such as dimensions, material and markings. Feature objects in the program can be used to record groups of finds including concretions while Sectors are used to define areas such as trenches. You can also record information about environmental samples or samples taken for type testing.
- Drawing objects
Drawing objects include points, lines (polylines), rectangles, circles and text and drawing objects can be used to draw such things as maps, hull structure, trenches, contours coastlines. Any number of drawing objects can be added or imported from vector GIS data files.
- Basemaps
Basemap Images are used to show images on the chart such as scanned charts and maps as well as side-scan sonar and multibeam echo sounder (MBES) images.
- Survey points and measurements
Survey objects include Survey Points, Measurements and Drawing Frames. Survey Point objects are used to represent the survey control points and detail points installed on the site. Each individual measurement made between these points are recorded as separate Measurement objects. Measurements can be processed together in a survey-quality network adjustment to produce precise positions for survey points then used to position artefacts and structure.
- Drawing Frames
Drawing or planning frames can be added to the chart. The drawing made on site can be copied into the frame in the computer by tracing over a scanned image of the drawing, once done the frame and copied drawing can be positioned on the chart.
- Events
Events are used to record things that have happened on site or to the site, such as the date it was first found or the dates of fieldwork undertaken on the site.
- Images
Image objects are used to record information about any type of image including photographs, drawings and video clips. Images can be linked to other objects such as Artefacts and Dive Logs.
- Sources and documents
Sources such as documents, reports and letters can be recorded along with a link to the source if the document is available in a digital form.
- Wrecks and Targets
Information about known wrecks and reported wrecks can be recorded along with linked Images and Sources.
Targets are used to record positions and information about things found during geophysical survey using magnetometers, side-scan sonars, sub-bottom profilers and pulse-induction metal detectors.
- Contacts and Dive Logs
Information about people and organisations associated with the project can be recorded.
Dive Logs are used to record information about diver and ROV dives on the site.
- Projects and Layers
The Site can contain one or more Projects and these are used to collect together sets of Layers. Projects can be used to record all the work done in a particular excavation season, fieldwork session or survey. Each Project can contain a number of Layers and the layers are used to collect together different types of other objects that are associated with each other.