Hi, Nikki Here! Our tips for this week come from The Art of Narrative in your Workflow webinar with Ruth Tringham. This webinar is one of my favorites because we get to look into how we collect, perceive, and share data as archaeologists. In this class, Ruth breaks down the process of how to incorporate narrative throughout the entire workflow process, not just when it comes time for progress reports and publications.    When is Narrative Most Important for Archaeologists? Ruth’s key tip for efficient narrative construction throughout your project workflow is to consider collecting as much of ..read more

Hi, Nikki here! During today's webinar with photogrammetry expert Adam Prins a common question came up that many of us who attended had. What file format should I use when taking photographs for archaeology? In the Photogrammetry and Photography in Archaeology webinar, we learned about the importance of shooting in RAW format whenever possible, and converting to JPEG or other file formats later if needed. Shooting in RAW format is essential for those planning to apply photogrammetric software such as Agisoft photoscan, beca ..read more

Hello, archaeologists! Nikki here with a tip from our Small Archaeology Project Management webinar with the expert of Succinct Research, Bill White. Bill taught us some skills that are essential to running a project, but the most important element of a successful project is clear communication. With clear communication, you can gain a more accurate understanding the goals of the project, and your role in achieving that goal. It also refers to the knowledge of who you project contacts are, what you are expected to do, and ho ..read more

Hello everyone. Nikki here bringing you another quick and simple tip that I learned in the Photography and Photogrammetry for Archaeologists webinar with Michael Ashley. In our Digital Photography and Photogrammetry for Archaeologists webinars, we have learned that a good rule of thumb to follow when placing coded targets is to keep the targets in the frame, and not to move them in between shots. This is because each target must be uniquely bound to place so that the software can read which points to match. While the concep ..read more

Hello, this is us now. And this is our history that we never really told. It all started with four of us. Ruth, Meg, Michael and Cinzia had been working separately and together within and outside the UC Berkeley Anthropology Department. We were each experimenting with all things digital and how they could apply to and benefit the study of archaeology. We were pioneers of multimedia instruction and fans of cool tech tools to tell stories from the past. No, seriously, Ruth and Michael were champions! look at this. Ruth Tringh ..read more

Hello everyone. Nikki here bringing you a quick and simple tip that I learned in the Photography and Photogrammetry for Archaeologists webinar with Michael Ashley. When doing photogrammetry, it is important to have a fixed lens so that it does not move and refocus while you are taking photographs. When the lens moves, it creates noise and data distortion in the image. If your camera does not have a fixed lens, do not fret! You can still use a camera with automatic zoom for photogrammetry, by simply taping the lens into plac ..read more

Hello, Nikki here with a fun tip from our recent Introduction to Drones and Archaeology Webinar with Sean Adams. Drone technology can be a useful addition to many archaeology projects, but if you are like me and have never flown one before, it can be daunting to invest in expensive technology. Sean’s recommendation for us novice pilots is to start with an inexpensive drone that will be less disappointing to crash.  One option Sean suggested is the small copter-type drones that are meant to be flown indoors for leisure. They are inexpensive, but also tend to be more difficult to control than th ..read more

We started the BTC-Codifi project with Meg Conkey in January 2013. The main goal was to harmonize all 20 years of the Between the Caves Survey data into a coherent and integrated Codifi database, and at the same time build a sustainable methodology for the future. We kicked off the project creating a workflow and shared tools for the team to proceed fast and efficiently through coordinated and collaborative actions. Following the Codifi methodology, the original data were made available to the team for data auditioning and for modeling the data architecture, but the original files were and are ..read more

Hello again, Nikki here. This week’s tip is a throwback from the very first CoDA webinar I attended. Any archaeologist will tell you, fieldwork brings with many unexpected adventures. Some of these adventures can and do end up in data loss. Whether it be extreme weather or remote locations, there is the ever looming risk that a hard drive will fail, or data will be deleted into an unrecoverable abyss. Codifi President Michael Ashley recommends implementing the 3-2-1 backup plan at the start of a project so that data can be recovered should things go awry. What is the 3-2-1 Backup plan? The 3-2 ..read more

Hello, this is Nikki back with your weekly post of #TrainingTIPS from our webinars at CoDA. This week’s photogrammetry webinar with Adam Prins became especially illuminating because our students brought up questions about varying lighting conditions in the field. How to Keep Lighting Consistent for Photogrammetry Our first student question relates to shadow variations that may affect the consistency of lighting for overlapping photographs: “We have significant light variation - we're at the mouth of a cave. Any advice on dealing with that lighting difference?” Adam recommends bringing portable ..read more