The project documentary archive benefits from the high level of computerisation employed, from the data collection in the field onwards; Context and Object records are all stored digitally. The site plans are digitised in a format utilising a methodolo gy designed to facilitate analysis and publication, each digitised feature containing the necessary tags for cross-referencing to primary and analytical databases. In addition to the digital record there are over 200 site notebooks containing additional n otes, sketch plans and matrix information not included in the digital record, several thousand plan and section sheets, indexed and cross referenced through the drawings database, over 10,000 photographs and over 12 hours of video tape. The primary matrix data has been checked and methodologies devised for integration of the matrix data with the computerised databases and drawings. The archive is complete and although a change in database environment from FoxPro™ to Access™ is planned, this will provide enhancements to the analytical potential for a minimum investment of resources. The archive has been checked and cross referenced.
The material culture archive comprises nearly a thousand standard black correx™ plastic finds storage boxes currently stored either at the home of one of the project team or with the specialists.
All databases are referenced both spatially and by key fields and as such are managed using the G-Sys™ Geographic data management program. G-Sys™ provides a visualisation and analytical environment which caters for files in a number of format s: 3D drawings with import and export as AutoCAD™ DXF files, surface and trend surface models, geophysical and other remotely sensed image data, and scanned photographs in a variety of formats. The program provides for filtered multi-layered plotting of point data in three dimensions to 10mm precision within the British Isles. Spatially referenced charts can be automatically generated from standard Xbase data files and it supports interactive searches of point, linear and polygonal buffers with autom atic and user-defined report generation. On suitable hardware the program generates high quality output at any scale to camera-ready standards. It provides a flexible and interactive data management environment running under DOS and Windows on standard PC s. Backups are maintained on and off site using re-writable optical disks and CD-ROMs. Integration with the North Yorkshire SMR is assured since a backup copy of the full SMR is maintained at the Heslerton Parish Project offices.
The physical archive is currently stored at a number of locations. Those finds that are not currently with specialists are stored at the Assistant Director's home, which is the central management point for all finds-related issues, and in an attached l ockup garage. The animal bone, which physically forms the largest component, is mostly with the West Yorkshire Archaeology Service (WYAS) where most of the material has been processed during the excavation period. The environmental samples are with the Ancient Monument's Laboratory (AML) with the exception of a small number which are still being researched by Dr Steve Mrozowski, who first identified the remarkable environmental potential, in Boston USA. The electronic record, the site note-b ooks, drawings, photographic and video records are stored at the Project Director's home, which doubles as the project offices. This storage solution is not ideal as in neither case are the buildings very large nor are they environmentally stable. Proper storage facilities are required for the photographic record and local copying facilities are needed to facilitate the generation of the security copy of the non-computerised components of the paper record.
New premises have been secured locally which will provide a single consolidated centralised store, a centralised work place and a stable and secure storage environment in which a computer network can be established with central storage, backup and arch iving facilities.
The entire archive will be transferred to Hull Museum upon completion of the report; Hull has agreed to take the archive and has good storage and study facilities as well as by far the largest collection of Early Anglo-Saxon material in the region.
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URL: http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue5/westhes/2-7.htm
Last updated: Tue Dec 15 1998