Hello everyone

A Friday afternoon question for you, as I sit here quietly tearing my hair out. To what extent do other archaeology services/HERs require archaeological contractors to supply them with digital data? A couple of years back we revised our reporting standards for developer-funded work to include an overt requirement not only for digital copies of reports, but also shapefiles of event and site extents, digital site gazetteers, digital photos and photographic registers. This allows us to streamline the process of getting information into the HER – crucial given our resource limitations - and prevents duplication and double keying of information.

It seems plain to us that reporting needs to move with the times and that the supply of digital information is something that should be standard in this day and age. However two years on I am still banging my head against a brick wall with many archaeological contractors who seem to have difficulty understanding even the basics of GIS or appreciating the benefits of supplying data to us digitally. I’m now wondering if we really are the only HER in the country with these types of requirements – surely not?

Thoughts? What do others do?

Thanks

Sylvina

You can now send us photos via our Flickr group: www.flickr.com/groups/her

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HighlandHER Twitter: www.twitter.com/Highland_HER