Methodological Trends and Future Perspectives in the Application of GIS in Archaeology

In order to conduct an international comparison of research, the first step of the Caere project was the circulation of an online questionnaire, aimed at gathering general information concerning the application of GIS in archaeology, with particular reference to their use in excavations. All collected information was published in the 9th special issue of Archeologia e Calcolatori, under the supervision of an international Scientific Committee, whose members are among the most distinguished scholars in this field of study. The goal of the project was not so much as to obtain an exhaustive census of all the projects, difficult to achieve in any event, but rather to get a panorama, as complete as possible, of the activities carried out, highlighting several technical and methodological issues common to many projects and noting, where present, particular trends within various countries. In addition to a general outline of the ongoing projects and a specific survey of the situation in different countries, the initiative provoked the investigation of specific topics, such as the definition of GIS and their basic methodology and the central problems relevant to archaeological cartography.