Built with and for the archaeological community.

Hou (Upper Egypt) · Egypt

Dr Audrey Eller

Lecturer and Researcher, University of Geneva, Switzerland

What were the main problems before using ArcheoBase?

Digitising the data after the excavation season took me an enormous amount of time. There was also the risk of the same number being created twice for an object. On top of that, modifying and adapting the paper forms to the contexts being excavated was tedious.

How did you feel about that situation?

I felt like I was drowning in data at the end of the season, especially when it came from several excavators and different sectors. And I wasted a huge amount of time digitising everything afterwards.

In what way is ArcheoBase different?

Digitisation is immediate; the data is saved live, which is particularly reassuring. You can adapt your forms at any time to the site you are working on. There is no risk of creating the same number (for an object, an archaeological layer, etc.) more than once.

What were the key moments when you realized that ArcheoBase could address these problems?

Automatic numbering immediately solves the problem of duplicate numbers. Synchronising the data to a server means I no longer worry about backups, especially when working on a site abroad, where previously you had to travel with all the paper forms.

What do you or your team appreciate now that these issues have been resolved (or are in the process of being resolved)?

The flexibility of the system, the responsiveness of the developers whenever there is a question or a specific request, how easy it is to modify the forms, and the Harris matrix generator, which lets you check whether you have forgotten to create a stratigraphic relationship or made a mistake. Overall, I find ArcheoBase quite intuitive and I appreciate the quality of the tutorials.

• Data security

  Digitization is immediate; data is saved in real time, which is very reassuring. I no longer have to worry about data backups, particularly when working on excavation sites abroad, where I previously had to travel with all the paper forms.

• Time savings

  After each excavation campaign, I was overwhelmed by the volume of data and the time required to digitize it. ArcheoBase eliminated that bottleneck.

Tel Hazor · Israel

Manuel Cimadevilla

Database Administrator, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

What were the main problems before using ArcheoBase?

Our main bottlenecks were the lack of GIS integration and the absence of a truly graphical/visual layer in our previous database environment (e.g., dbFlex). Data also lived across different platforms, and moving it between them was not straightforward.

How did you feel about that situation?

Because recording and spatial documentation could not be integrated properly, the workflow became slower and less accurate: more manual steps, more room for inconsistencies, and longer turnaround from field recording to usable datasets.

In what way is ArcheoBase different?

ArcheoBase is highly adaptable: it can be customized quickly to the specific recording logic of different excavations while keeping the structure coherent and user-friendly.

What were the key moments when you realized that ArcheoBase could address these problems?

The decisive moment was seeing how smoothly we could import legacy datasets (Database III from the 1990s, MS Access, and dbFlex) into ArcheoBase, and how easily we could back up and export data when needed.

What do you or your team appreciate now that these issues have been resolved (or are in the process of being resolved)?

We appreciate having a more integrated and transferable workflow: cleaner data management, easier exchange between platforms, reliable backups/exports, and a faster path from recording to analysis and reporting.

• All in one place

  ArcheoBase provides a truly integrated workflow, combining recording, GIS, and analysis in a single, coherent environment.

Independent practice · Switzerland & France

Dr Claudine Abegg

Independent Anthropologist and Scientific Collaborator, AbeggArcheo / University of Geneva, Switzerland

What were the main problems before using ArcheoBase?

A lack of centralised data for a given site, access to information that was sometimes complicated when the excavation team changes over the course of a project (field schools, for instance), and no way to view all the data on a single platform. Frustration in the post-excavation follow-up, with ever more data relating to the sites but scattered across many separate files, documents and databases.

How did you feel about that situation?

As an anthropologist, great frustration at not always having access to all the field information that gives so much context to my post-excavation study, and without which I can only have a truncated view of the site. And as an anthropologist working for different bodies (universities, museums, cantonal services), I also had in mind that a platform where I could bring all my data together would be ideal, because then I would no longer fear losing some of it along the way.

In what way is ArcheoBase different?

Everything is in one place, and everything is flexible. Most databases impose their entry codes and impose certain methods… Yet if you ask anthropologists which method they use to estimate the age of an adult individual, their “preferred” method will depend on their training (in Europe, in England, in the USA?), on their experience, and also on which skeletal elements they have in front of them… Every anthropological database proposed to date has failed to win over the majority of researchers, because imposing a rigid framework does not work. With ArcheoBase, everyone can create their own forms and state which methods were used, so I can see at a glance which information was drawn upon and how.

What were the key moments when you realized that ArcheoBase could address these problems?

On the excavation, by adding “on the spot” the parameters needed for a situation I had not yet anticipated; and in post-excavation study, by working in different contexts and realising that I could modify, add and compare without any problem.

What do you or your team appreciate now that these issues have been resolved (or are in the process of being resolved)?

The fact that everyone sees the same thing at the same time. Not having to spend hours looking for the right version of the Harris matrix, and above all being able to find a piece of information easily when there is a mistake: the information is there, maybe not in the right place, but if it was recorded, with ArcheoBase it is not lost. The same cannot be said of the “old-fashioned” systems. We all also appreciate not doing certain work twice: a skeleton preservation sheet, for example, can be done cleanly right in the field and exported easily. Before, we produced a paper version that then had to be redone on the computer to get a “publishable” image. The same goes for paper photo lists, inventories that can be exported straight away… It means we no longer have to spend precious post-excavation time sorting and digitising information.

• All in one place

  Everything is in one place, and everything is flexible. If it was recorded, with ArcheoBase it isn't lost. You can't say the same about old-fashioned systems.

• Data security

  As an anthropologist working for different entities, universities, museums, cantonal services, I had in mind that a platform where I could bring all my data together would be ideal, because then I would no longer be afraid of losing data along the way.

Tel Goren, En-Gedi Oasis · Israel

Itay Lubel

En-Gedi Oasis Archaeological Project, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

Raphaëlle Javet

Archaeologist at InSitu Archéologie SA, PhD candidate, University of Zurich, Switzerland

• Reports & analysis

  I am currently working on a doctoral thesis at the University of Zurich. The main advantage of ArcheoBase is having access to all the excavation data of the site. 3,500 structures and 2,500 postholes were recorded. Each structure record in ArcheoBase always has its links, which gives me really easy access to the data and then efficient post-excavation processing of it.

• All in one place

  Having a relatively uniform system for processing this data, from field data to academic work, is extremely valuable.

• All in one place

  I think that is one of the most valuable aspects of this tool: not having to juggle several different databases.

• Reports & analysis

  At the end of my work compiling all this data linked to building plans, this statistical tool will really allow me to get the most out of my data.

• Teamwork

  Since we have web access to ArcheoBase, it is incredibly valuable to always have a fully updated database across all workstations.

• Search & open access

  The data export feature, which is extremely simple, allows sharing the data, for example, in Excel spreadsheets. This ensures ethical practices in terms of data access and sharing.

Poland

Maciej Marczewski

Firma Archeologiczna GLESUM, Poland

Prés-de-Vidy, Lausanne · Switzerland

Romain Guichon

Archaeologist, Operations Manager, Archeodunum Investigations Archéologiques SA, Switzerland

• All in one place

  We had multiple binders open on our desks and several programs running simultaneously. Now we have a single platform to centralize information.

• Teamwork

  ArcheoBase makes it possible to process a large volume of data & directly synchronize excavation & research operations. This creates genuine working comfort & essential operational dynamics for a project of this scale.

• Time savings

  Those long hours of listing in a spreadsheet are now a thing of the past.

• Reports & analysis

  When we were able to see, as thumbnails, all the photos related to a structure along with the drawings where that structure appeared, a wall, a tomb, that was really a plus for us, and that's when we thought we had a very powerful tool.

• All in one place

  We now have a single platform to centralize information, whether it relates to archaeological remains, structures, objects, but also photos and excavation drawings, and all of it is centralized, synchronized.

• Adaptability

  We also have the flexibility of the program, which is a strength in that the tool is quite modular, and it has an ergonomic design that is quite easy to pick up.

• Support

  The third strength is the quality of the exchange we have with ArcheoBase, since they have always been, and still are, responsive and attentive to our specific requests.

• Mapping & GIS

  On any excavation operation, but in particular on large areas, we need to spatialize our intervention by means of an orthogonal grid. The idea is to set up this grid directly on ArcheoBase's map tool and to have a mesh that you can define yourself.

• Mapping & GIS

  Each excavation square will then be an object in the database that can interact with the other elements of the database, like finds, structures, and all sorts of archaeological data.

• Teamwork

  There's also great convenience in having this visualization and an overview for excavation supervisors, as well as for all post-excavation contributors.

• Mapping & GIS

  What's interesting is that we can integrate georeferenced photogrammetry. These integrate directly into the general map of the site.

Lausanne · Switzerland

Clément Hervé

Archaeologist and ceramics specialist, Operations Manager, Archeodunum Investigations Archéologiques SA, Switzerland

• Teamwork

  Having a connected database allowed the entire team to work simultaneously without the risk of duplicate numbers. It also enabled ongoing control over what was happening across every sector of the excavation.

• Mapping & GIS

  Photogrammetry and all the topographic data could also be integrated almost in real time, allowing a master plan of the structures to be kept up-to-date as they were documented & discovered.

• Teamwork

  On large-scale excavations, we had the experience last year of using ArcheoBase on a site of over two hectares with different sectors, sometimes involving up to 30 people on-site.

• Data security

  Since all documentation has now become digital, we obviously no longer have the option to submit written documentation on paper to the archives. However, we still have the option, which the software provides, to export all the data that has been entered and recorded in the database at any time.

• Legacy data

  We also have the option, for example within the context of small finds studies, to import relevant data from older existing files in order to complete the database.

• Data input

  The significant advantage of these forms, at least in the way they have been designed, is that they are relatively clear and will even effectively guide the person performing the documentation.

• Adaptability

  We were able to create additional forms that allowed anthropologists or funerary archaeology specialists, for example, to document as they traditionally would on paper forms.

Aurèle Pignolet

Excavation Technician with Federal Diploma, InSitu Archéologie SA, Switzerland

• Data security

  What we appreciate about this software is the certainty of reliability.

• Adaptability

  Our forms are precisely tailored not only to the reality of our site, but also to the working methods of the team. It's not about using software designed for us, but designing it ourselves. This provides real efficiency. We don't have to translate the tool.

• Harris Matrix

  The Harris matrix generator was developed as part of ArcheoBase. It automatically generates the chronostratigraphy diagram of the excavated layers and structures. […] If you can generate it on the spot, it's a bonus tool.

• Data input

  The efficiency gain comes mainly from being sure of the data and entering it only once. We check it and correct it afterwards, but we don't rewrite it or copy it over. That is an immense advantage that comes from entering the data in the field.

• Data input

  Excavation is, ultimately, the destruction of remains. It is controlled destruction, carried out step by step, and each of those steps is documented.

• Adaptability

  Even if the categories aren't exactly the same from one site to another, because every site is unique and every period has its own issues, the whole is compatible. The database makes all the different excavations compatible with one another.

• Harris Matrix

  On an excavation site, you can very easily check that you've documented everything properly. The Harris matrix is a tool that shows us our mistakes, and the ArcheoBase version highlights them in red.

Avenches · Switzerland

Hugo Amoroso

Site et Musée romains d'Avenches, Switzerland

Avenches · Switzerland

Aurélie Schenk

Site et Musée romains d'Avenches, Switzerland

• Support

  The support team's assistance is decisive, with quick answers and effective solutions.

AS Portal · Switzerland

Lionel Pernet

President, Swiss Archaeology, Switzerland

• Search & open access

  A small revolution in the world of Swiss archaeology! Researchers can now find in a few clicks all medieval burials discovered in Switzerland, a task that would have taken several days with the paper yearbooks.

• Search & open access

  From now on, you will be able to find the excavation CHRONIQUES from the Yearbook online [on the AS Portal]! No more tedious combing through the paper volumes.

AS Portal · Switzerland

Ellen Thiermann

General Secretary, Swiss Archaeology, Switzerland

• Search & open access

  A quantum leap for research: CHRONIQUES online allows multiple kinds of search: systematically by term, on a map or by photo. Researchers and the general public thus gain a tool that, alongside user-friendly open access, offers for the first time a powerful search instrument for a previously unmanageable volume of data.

• Search & open access

  Proud of Swiss Archaeology that this visionary project is now out in the world. A giant step for the open-access availability of data on Swiss archaeology, achieved by a private non-profit organization.

• Legacy data

  With the help of AI, the more than 6,000 reports from the last 35 years were first captured in detail, with more to follow.

Canton of Fribourg · Switzerland

Reto Blumer

Cantonal Archaeologist, Archaeological Service of the State of Fribourg (SAEF), Switzerland

• Heritage management

  Over the last 20 years, we have gone from 50 archaeological operations per year to around 500. Without corresponding resource increases, state services need systems that multiply capacity without multiplying staff.

• Time savings

  As a cantonal archaeologist, it is important to me to provide as calm a working environment as possible for my colleagues. To achieve this, digitalization is a very important development to successfully manage the necessary workload and to carry out all the operations that must be done…

• Heritage management

  We also hope to deal with the avalanche of building permit applications by prioritizing interventions in regions where the risk of destruction of remains is the highest.

• Heritage management

  My concern, from the standpoint of the long-term sustainability of our work, is that one day so many archaeological perimeters will cover the territory that the archaeological service, with its stable resources, will no longer be able to handle all the archaeological operations that need to be carried out.

• Heritage management

  It seemed crucial to me to develop a different paradigm for managing the cantonal archaeological heritage. […] We need highly specialized skills in very specific fields such as artificial intelligence, data mining and data analysis.

• Heritage management

  Our hope is to provide, first for the Archaeological Service, and perhaps beyond it later on, a tool to support the management of archaeological heritage: a decision-support tool to help us know where to concentrate our limited resources.

• Search & open access

  Swiss Archaeology has commissioned AnalyticBase to develop a new platform for distributing the Swiss Archaeology chronicles. It will take the form of a tool for searching, accessing and visualizing the results of these chronicles, and will serve as a gateway to archaeological information in Switzerland.

• Search & open access

  [The platform] will be a central tool that should be extremely valuable for the academic world, whether in Switzerland or abroad, and for the general public interested in heritage, culture and archaeological remains.

• Support

  In these highly specialized fields of artificial intelligence, data mining, and data analysis, it's about accessing these skills where they are. At AnalyticBase, we found those skills.