GIS and Archaeology: From Real World to Virtual World: The University of Puget Sound Excavations at Khirbet Cana, Israel

Author: Douglas R. Edwards
Organization: University of Puget Sound

1500 N. Warner
Tacoma, WA 98416
USA

Phone: 253-879-3748
Fax: 253-879-3500
dedwards@ups.edu

Excavations begun in 1998 at Khirbet Cana in Israel have integrated GIS from the start. ArcView GIS combines orthophotos, reports, databases, and surveys for analysis by the excavation team as well as future researchers. The team is also developing a virtual world in which students, the general public, and scholars can view the reconstructed site. This virtual world is presented in two forms: one uses ArcExplorer; the other draws on Dreamworld technology. The latter allows persons to move around a virtual world that presents three-dimensional views of the site. Real archaeology through GIS technology has moved into the virtual world and serves as a distinctive educational, scientific, and research tool.