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(1 - 9 of 9)
- Title
- NEW COURLAND, TOBAGO: A GIS ANALYSIS OF A 17TH-CENTURY SETTLEMENT.
- Creator
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Sumner, Amanda, Branting, Scott, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Caribbean island of Tobago was contested by several European powers. Among them was an unlikely colonizer, the small Duchy of Courland, located in the western part of modern-day Latvia, which established the New Courland colony on the west coast of Tobago, in May 1654. The aim of this study was to determine the exact geographic location of this settlement through examination of historical texts, maps, and geographic information systems (GIS) data. Remote...
Show moreIn the 17th and 18th centuries, the Caribbean island of Tobago was contested by several European powers. Among them was an unlikely colonizer, the small Duchy of Courland, located in the western part of modern-day Latvia, which established the New Courland colony on the west coast of Tobago, in May 1654. The aim of this study was to determine the exact geographic location of this settlement through examination of historical texts, maps, and geographic information systems (GIS) data. Remote sensing and GIS methods were used to map the Courlander Fort Jacob on the site of an earlier Dutch fortification, Nieuw Vlissingen. Subsequently, a predictive model was created in ArcGIS to analyze the probability of a 17th-century animal-powered sugar mill location on the territory of an 18th-century British sugar estate. Several locales were identified as matching the model criteria. The results of this study contribute to the knowledge about the New Courland colony and can be used in the design of a future archaeological fieldwork project.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFH2000313, ucf:45798
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000313
- Title
- A METHOD FOR DETERMINING DAMAGE WITHIN HISTORIC CEMETERIES: A FIRST STEP FOR DIGITAL HERITAGE.
- Creator
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Malcolm, Justin E, Branting, Scott, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
While it is true that historic cemeteries are places that contain a wealth of knowledge about the history of a community they are sometimes not well maintained. The information within can be lost as grave-markers are damaged either by natural causes or human interaction. In larger cemeteries preserving these significant places can sometimes be difficult due to a number of different factors. Therefore focusing preservation efforts on specific locations where damage is more likely to occur is...
Show moreWhile it is true that historic cemeteries are places that contain a wealth of knowledge about the history of a community they are sometimes not well maintained. The information within can be lost as grave-markers are damaged either by natural causes or human interaction. In larger cemeteries preserving these significant places can sometimes be difficult due to a number of different factors. Therefore focusing preservation efforts on specific locations where damage is more likely to occur is crucial to ensure that the monuments that are the most at risk are preserved. One possible way of accomplishing this is through the utilization of a geographic information system (GIS) to determine the shortest distance path an individual may take to reach a specific grave-marker. This can be accomplished by conducting a near analysis between an origin point and every grave-marker. These paths would also show each grave-marker that an individual passes indicating the potential for purposeful or accidental interaction. With this information efforts such as photogrammetry can be applied effectively for digital heritage preservation. Such methods would permit individuals to manipulate three-dimensional representations of grave-markers in order to preserve a large portion of the information it contains.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFH2000428, ucf:45784
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000428
- Title
- Reflectance Transformation Imaging: Documenting Incised Graffiti in the Maya Lowlands.
- Creator
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Gill, Rachel, Kovacevich, Brigitte, Branting, Scott, Callaghan, Michael, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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In the late 19th century, explorers identified graffiti etched in stucco walls of residences, palaces, and temples in the Maya Lowlands. By the mid-20th century, scholars acknowledged that the ancient Maya produced these incised images. Today, archaeologists struggle with documenting these instances of graffiti with precision and accuracy, often relying solely on to-scale line drawings to best represent the graffitied image they see before them. These images can be complex, multilayered, and...
Show moreIn the late 19th century, explorers identified graffiti etched in stucco walls of residences, palaces, and temples in the Maya Lowlands. By the mid-20th century, scholars acknowledged that the ancient Maya produced these incised images. Today, archaeologists struggle with documenting these instances of graffiti with precision and accuracy, often relying solely on to-scale line drawings to best represent the graffitied image they see before them. These images can be complex, multilayered, and difficult to see so identifying the sequence of creation of the incisions can be challenging. Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) is a method that uses a moving light source and photography in order to visualize, interact with, and analyze a three-dimensional object in a two-dimensional image. Performed on a series of 20 unique graffiti from the Maya archaeological site of Holtun, RTI showed promise as a viable technique for documenting and preserving graffiti as cultural heritage and for providing new information about an enigmatic aspect of Maya archaeology. Additionally, RTI is compared to other common methods used to document incised graffiti in the Maya lowland area including to-scale line drawing, tracing, photogrammetry, and scanning to show the new and unique information and data that can be gathered from this method. Finally, RTI is a low-cost, low-maintenance alternative data-gathering method for highly remote archaeological projects where other technology is difficult to obtain and use in the field setting.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007005, ucf:52049
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007005
- Title
- The Spatial Distribution of Tumuli in the Iron Age Kanak Su Basin, Turkey.
- Creator
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Paulsen, Paige, Branting, Scott, Walker, John, Williams, Lana, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This project takes the Iron Age tumuli of the Kanak Su Basin in Yozgat, Turkey as a case study for the application of geospatial methods to reconstruct past perceptions of a mortuary landscape. The tumulus fields (-) landscapes heavily modified by monumental burial mounds (-) of central Anatolia present an opportunity to investigate how burial practices reflect and create places of collective memory, territorial identity, and the social order. Understanding the nature of Iron Age settlement...
Show moreThis project takes the Iron Age tumuli of the Kanak Su Basin in Yozgat, Turkey as a case study for the application of geospatial methods to reconstruct past perceptions of a mortuary landscape. The tumulus fields (-) landscapes heavily modified by monumental burial mounds (-) of central Anatolia present an opportunity to investigate how burial practices reflect and create places of collective memory, territorial identity, and the social order. Understanding the nature of Iron Age settlement in the Kanak Su Basin remains an ongoing subject of study in central Anatolian archaeology, especially in regard to how the large, short-lived city of Kerkenes interacted with the existing long-term settlement history in the basin. This project seeks to understand the role of the tumuli in this landscape by investigating the relationship between the settlement pattern and the burial mounds along axes of proximity, visibility, and accessibility using spatial statistics, viewsheds, and least cost pathways. The spatial distribution of mounds suggests which sites might have participated in constructing tumuli and the possible motivating factors in their location. Larger sites in the study area appear to have participated more frequently in tumulus construction. This analysis also allows us to reconstruct the more general experience of living among the mounds, whether one participated in the practice or not, and results suggest the tumuli were located to increase the number of people who perceived and interacted with them.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007073, ucf:52016
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007073
- Title
- Testing the Capability of Close-Range Photogrammetry to Document Outdoor Forensic Scenes With Skeletal Remains Using Mock Scenarios.
- Creator
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Gidusko, Kevin, Schultz, John, Branting, Scott, Walker, John, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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More rigorous methodological protocols are needed to document outdoor forensic scenes containing skeletal remains. However, law enforcement protocols rarely provide specific guidelines for processing these scenes. Regardless, the need to preserve contextual information at crime scenes is of paramount importance and it is worth exploring new technological applications that will allow for better documentation. Close-range photogrammetry (CRP) is one option for outdoor scene documentation, more...
Show moreMore rigorous methodological protocols are needed to document outdoor forensic scenes containing skeletal remains. However, law enforcement protocols rarely provide specific guidelines for processing these scenes. Regardless, the need to preserve contextual information at crime scenes is of paramount importance and it is worth exploring new technological applications that will allow for better documentation. Close-range photogrammetry (CRP) is one option for outdoor scene documentation, more prominently utilized in archaeological contexts, that may provide forensic archaeologists with a tool to better document these scenarios via 3D modeling. To test the efficacy of CRP as documentation tool three mock scenarios representing common outdoor scenes were created using faux osteological material: a close scatter of osteological remains in a pine flatwood setting, a wide scatter of osteological remains in the same setting, and the partial excavation of skeletonized remains. Images were collected using a digital camera and processed using Agisoft Photoscan Professional. A series of variables were tested in successive iterations of data capture for each scenario to determine best practices for overall accuracy: camera images captured by hand versus fixed to a tripod, scale bar positioning, and number of images captured. Accuracy was determined via final root mean square error values and through a comparison between real-world to virtual measurements. Results show that CRP is a cost and time-effective method of documenting contextual data at a scene via the creation of 3D models and scaled orthomosaic images. This method is most useful for the documentation of excavations owing to the controlled and contrasted sub-surface in comparison to the subject material. The two scatter scenarios offered additional challenges due to the complexity of the ground covering, however models nonetheless provided accurate contextual detail and errors may be mitigated through proper data capture. There was little difference in the variables for image capture, scale bar placement, or number of images. Instead, the quality of images, image capture method, and post-processing operations proved to be more important. Due to the ease of use and the ability to convey best practices for data capture, the utilization of CRP for outdoor scene documentation is recommended as a valuable addition to current forensic documentation protocols. Future research should focus on the utilization of actual osteological material as a proxy for forensic scenarios as well as study the applicability of CRP to assist in documenting taphonomic modifications.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007182, ucf:52261
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007182
- Title
- A Landscape of Death: A Comparison of Non-adult to Adult Burials at the Late Bronze Age Site of Tell el-Far'ah (South).
- Creator
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Reeves, Rebecca, Branting, Scott, Walker, John, Williams, Lana, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This study aims to determine whether there are any differences in the burial practices for non-adults and adults at the Late Bronze Age site of Tell el-Far'ah (South) in modern day Israel. The archaeology of childhood together with various methods of analyses, including geospatial and statistical techniques, were utilized to address the main research question focused on the spatial differences and relationships between non-adult and adult burials. There are missing children in the...
Show moreThis study aims to determine whether there are any differences in the burial practices for non-adults and adults at the Late Bronze Age site of Tell el-Far'ah (South) in modern day Israel. The archaeology of childhood together with various methods of analyses, including geospatial and statistical techniques, were utilized to address the main research question focused on the spatial differences and relationships between non-adult and adult burials. There are missing children in the archeological record. Tell el-Far'ah (South) is an example of this phenomenon. Reasons vary from taphonomy to potential infanticide. Based on the currently available data, it seems that the people of Tell el-Far'ah (South) understood non-adults as both similar to and dissimilar from adults. In sum, this is not a comprehensive or conclusive study, but rather serves to shed light on the lack of attention in the archaeology of childhood and more generally on the need for greater integration of the anthropological subfields.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007359, ucf:52095
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007359
- Title
- Whetting Their Appetite: A Spatial Analysis of Seasonal Flooding and Raised Field Agriculture in the Llanos de Mojos, Bolivia.
- Creator
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Martin, Samuel, Walker, John, Branting, Scott, Duncan, Neil, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The Llanos de Mojos, a region of the southwestern Amazon, is a seasonally flooded savannah located in the Beni department of Bolivia. The area sustained a significant pre-Columbian population up to the arrival of Jesuit missionaries in the late 17th century. Local communities constructed agricultural landscape modifications to help cultivate crops such as maize, manioc, and sweet potato. Raised fields contributed to soil nutrient intensification and helped to manage flooding. This study...
Show moreThe Llanos de Mojos, a region of the southwestern Amazon, is a seasonally flooded savannah located in the Beni department of Bolivia. The area sustained a significant pre-Columbian population up to the arrival of Jesuit missionaries in the late 17th century. Local communities constructed agricultural landscape modifications to help cultivate crops such as maize, manioc, and sweet potato. Raised fields contributed to soil nutrient intensification and helped to manage flooding. This study examines the relationship between 40,766 raised agricultural fields which were digitized by the Proyecto SIG Arqueol(&)#243;gico del Beni using Google Earth and maps of surface flood coverage. Flood maps from 2012(-)2016 were analyzed using 14-day aggregates of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data provided by the Dartmouth Flood Observatory. These datasets were compared using ArcGIS to examine the extent and variability of yearly flooding as well as the number of raised fields which were subject to seasonal inundation on a year-by-year basis. It was found that despite significant portions of the region being covered by seasonal floods, only 5.79% of the fields were exposed to flooding in total. This study concluded that raised fields were more suited to the containment and dispersion of localized precipitation rather than the dispersion of riverine flooding. Several fields that have paleobotanical associations with maize, manioc, and sweet potato cultivation only experience flooding for 1 out of the 5 years analyzed, supporting their practicality for growing water-sensitive crops.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007223, ucf:52234
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007223
- Title
- Managing an Epidemic: Zika Interventions and Community Responses in Belize.
- Creator
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Gray, Deven, Mishtal, Joanna, Harris, Shana, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, Branting, Scott, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Implementing effective health interventions in recent epidemics has been difficult due to the potentially global nature of their spread and sociocultural dynamics, raising questions concerning how to develop culturally-appropriate preventive measures, and how these health threats are understood locally. In Belize, health policy makers have only been marginally effective in managing infections and mosquito vectors, and Zika has been declared endemic in multiple regions of the country,...
Show moreImplementing effective health interventions in recent epidemics has been difficult due to the potentially global nature of their spread and sociocultural dynamics, raising questions concerning how to develop culturally-appropriate preventive measures, and how these health threats are understood locally. In Belize, health policy makers have only been marginally effective in managing infections and mosquito vectors, and Zika has been declared endemic in multiple regions of the country, particularly on the island of Caye Caulker. With one locally confirmed case of microcephaly on this small island already, this disease has the potential to severely impact the health and wellness of pregnant women and future generations. Based on ethnographic and Geographic Information Systems research conducted primarily in 2017, I examine how perspectives of Zika-related health risk are shaped, and how state interventions to manage Zika are understood. I argue that despite its declared endemic status, Zika is not perceived as a true health concern for community members due to numerous neoliberal structural challenges. Moreover, the state's restrictive form of reproductive governance which limits family planning services is forcing individuals to weigh conflicting conceptions of health consequences. This also contributes to an ambiguous healthcare environment for health practitioners, giving them an unclear picture of the scope of Zika as a public health concern and limiting their ability to treat patients. This thesis also considers how critical medical anthropology and feminist analytical approaches are useful in exploring these questions and contributing to understandings of the health impacts of Zika.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007402, ucf:52068
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007402
- Title
- Utilizing Geographic Information Systems to Record and Analyze Osteoarthritis Data in Joints of the Arm: A Methodology for Dry Bones.
- Creator
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Biernaski, Adam, Schultz, John, Wheeler, Sandra, Williams, Lana, Branting, Scott, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common pathologies encountered in dry bone contexts. However, even with the wealth of publications on documenting the presence of OA from skeletons, these studies prove to be largely incomparable due to different scoring methodologies and procedures in calculating prevalence. The standardization of a new OA data collection procedure would mitigate variability in evaluating, scoring, and calculating the prevalence of OA, thus allowing accurate comparison...
Show moreOsteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common pathologies encountered in dry bone contexts. However, even with the wealth of publications on documenting the presence of OA from skeletons, these studies prove to be largely incomparable due to different scoring methodologies and procedures in calculating prevalence. The standardization of a new OA data collection procedure would mitigate variability in evaluating, scoring, and calculating the prevalence of OA, thus allowing accurate comparison between studies. However, this level of data collection has often been described as unwieldy and lacking concordance. This research outlines a new methodology that utilizes Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to record OA characteristics, levels of expression, and spatial arrangement on the articular surfaces of the arm. The data was then processed using the analysis and visual rendering capabilities of GIS providing examples of OA patterning on the articular surface, within the joint, and within the individual. Using this method, large standardized OA datasets can be stored and the patterns within them modeled through the use of digitization, composite raster overlays, and modified binning techniques. The patterns recorded by this analysis can offer a more robust dataset on OA occurring within the arm that can provide the ability to explore OA progression and its relationship with biomechanical factors in larger datasets.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007789, ucf:52362
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007789
