Bitmap (BMP)

Graphical interaction (asynchronous)

Java

Communication and collaboration:

Suite:

ESRI Explorer

Discipline:

Archaeology

Classics and Ancient History

History

Data analysis:

Spatial data analysis

Data publishing and dissemination:

Web browser scripting

Tags:

GIS

geography

Geospatial computing

Geospatial technology

Strategy and project management:

Documentation

Practice-led research:

2d illustration

Alternate tool(s):

ArcGIS Explorer, worldKit, GeoCommons

Data structuring and enhancement:

2d modelling - raster

2d modelling - vector

Geo-referencing and projection

Licence:

Freeware

Platform:

All major operating systems

lifecycleStage:

structuring

analysis

publishing

By natalie.hutchinson at Mon, 29/03/2010 - 10:41

Read more about ArcExplorer

tool: NVivo

Purpose:

A software application that may be used to perform qualitative analysis upon varying types of unstructured and semi-structured data. NVivo enables users to combine and analyse disparate information content, identifying relationships or trends that may not be immediately obvious when handling each item individually. It is used in a variety of academic fields to perform network and organizational analysis, action or evidence-based research, discourse analysis, grounded theory, conversation analysis, ethnography, literature reviews, phenomenology and mixed methods research.

Features:

Multi-language support, including English, French, German, Spanish, Simplified Chinese and Japanese
Support for multiple media types in a project, including audiovisual content
Perform item coding within the software
Perform audio transcription and other activities with the software

A&H use case 1 description:

The Beyond the Book project used NVivo to analyse the development of large-scale shared reading practices, as exemplified by the Richard & Judy Book Club and Oprah Winfrey Book Club.

Publisher:

QSR International

Creator:

QSR International

Data analysis:

Collating

Specifications:

MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3)

Discipline:

Software/programming languages used:

Nvivo

Data structuring and enhancement:

Coding and standardisation

Data modelling

Tags:

Qualitative analysis

evidence-based research

discourse analysis

grounded theory

conversation analysis

ethnography

literature review

phenomenology

mixed methods research

Licence:

commercial

lifecycleStage:

analysis

Platform:

Microsoft Windows

By garethknight at Wed, 10/02/2010 - 10:32

Read more about NVivo

tool: Adobe Photoshop

Purpose:

Adobe Photoshop is an editor for still images. It is equipped with a diverse range of processing tools, enabling users to create or modify content through the use of drawing tools, filters, or other plug-ins.

Features:

• Tightly integrated with other Adobe suite software
• Photoshop functionality can be extended by add-on programs called Photoshop plugins which act like mini-editors that modify the image.
• Can utilise the colour models RGB, lab, CMKY, Greyscale, binary bitmap and duotone.
• Reads and writes raster and vector image formats

A&H use case 1 description:

“The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland” project has used Adobe Photoshop to edit digital images in both TIFF and high JPG formats of Romanesque sculpture in Britain.

Publisher:

Adobe Systems Incorporated

Creator:

Adobe Systems Incorporated

Specifications:

Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)

Image feature measurement

Adobe Illustrator (AI)

Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe After Effects

Adobe Fireworks

Data analysis:

Image segmentation

Visualisation

Data capture:

2d scanning and photography

Communication and collaboration:

Graphical interaction (asynchronous)

Software/programming languages used:

Adobe Photoshop LE

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe photoshop Elements

Suite:

Adobe

Data structuring and enhancement:

2d modelling - raster

2d modelling - vector

Alternate tool(s):

GraphicConverter, 36-image converter

Tags:

Practice-led research:

2d graphic design

2d illustration

3d graphic design

Platform:

Licence:

lifecycleStage:

By Valentina Asciutti at Tue, 02/02/2010 - 17:32

Read more about Adobe Photoshop

tool: Google Earth

Purpose:

Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographic information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a company acquired by Google in 2004.
It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography and GIS 3D globe.

Features:

• Editable and customisable maps
• Simplified touring with audio and voice recording
• Different layers
• 3D buildings
• Save and share maps

A&H use case 1 description:

The “Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania” project has used Google Earth to map data relating to Greek and Latin inscriptions from Roman Tripolitania onto Google Earth maps.

Creator:

Keyhole, Inc

Publisher:

Google

Specifications:

Keyhole Markup Language (KML)

KML-Zipped (KMZ)

Web Mapping Service (WMS)

GPS data

Arcview Header (HDR)

Alias Pix

Portable Anymap (PNM)

Data capture:

Geophysical survey

GPS and total station surveys

Data analysis:

Spatial data analysis

Software/programming languages used:

Google Earth

Suite:

Google

Data structuring and enhancement:

Geo-referencing and projection

Alternate tool(s):

Bing Maps Platform, Bhuvan

Tags:

GIS

geography

Geospatial technology

Platform:

Licence:

lifecycleStage:

By Valentina Asciutti at Tue, 02/02/2010 - 17:25

Read more about Google Earth

tool: Adobe Illustrator

Purpose:

Adobe Illustrator is a comprehensive vector graphics environment that is ideal for all creative professionals, including web and interactive designers and developers, multimedia producers, motion graphics and visual effects designers, animators, and video professionals. The latest version, Illustrator CS4, is the fourteenth generation in the product line.

Features:

• Tightly integrated with other Adobe suite software
• Raster and type-in vector format support

A&H use case 1 description:

The Inscriptions of Aphrodisias project used Adobe Illustrator to manipulate resources associated with Greek inscriptions from Aphrodisias in Caria.

A&H use case 2 description:

The North Sea Palaeolandscapes project used Adobe Illustrator during the production of visual data for use by the geological and archaeological community.

A&H use case 3 description:

The British Town maps project used Adobe Illustrator to manipulate graphical data produced between 1470 and 1895.

Publisher:

Adobe Systems Incorporated

Creator:

Adobe Systems Incorporated

Practice-led research:

2d graphic design

2d illustration

Photomontage

Data structuring and enhancement:

Suite:

Specifications:

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)

Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)

Portable Document Format (PDF)

Autodesk Drawing eXchange Format (DXF)

Rich Text Format (RTF)

Unicode

Adobe Freehand

CorelDraw image (CDR)

Windows MetaFile (WMF)

PhotoShop Document (PSD)

TrueType

Plug-in support

Microsoft Word document

Data analysis:

Image feature measurement

Tags:

Alternate tool(s):

Corel Draw

Platform:

Licence:

lifecycleStage:

Software/programming languages used:

Adobe Illustrator

By Valentina Asciutti at Wed, 20/01/2010 - 15:29

Read more about Adobe Illustrator

tool: 3DVIA Virtools

Purpose:

A software tool for the creation of 3D interactive environments. It may be used to model and interact with physical objects that currently or have previously existed in the real world, or create virtual environments that have not previously encountered. VirTool player software is available for Microsoft Windows, Apple MacOS X, Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360.

A&H use case 1 description:

Virtual Reconstruction of Palladio’s Teatro Olimpico is using 3DVIA Virtools to create a digital construct of the Teatro Olimpico theatre in Vicenza, Italy. It is using 3DVIA Virtools to model the internal structure of the Villa Rotonda, located outside Vicenza. The objective of the project is to develop a recreation of the villa through which the user may interact.

Creator:

Dassault Systemes

Publisher:

Dassault Systemes

Specifications:

MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3)

MS WAV

Windows Media Audio (WMA)

Autodesk SoftImage (XSI)

Lightwave

Collada

Truevision TarGA (TGA)

PC Paintbrush (PCX)

Data structuring and enhancement:

Virtual world modelling

Software/programming languages used:

lifecycleStage:

Practice-led research:

Alternate tool(s):

TurnTool

Tags:

Surfer (ASCII & binary) data format

Virtual world modelling

Platform:

Licence:

By Valentina Asciutti at Wed, 20/01/2010 - 15:15

Read more about 3DVIA Virtools

tool: ArcView

Purpose:

A software application for creating, manipulating and analysing GIS (Geographic Information System) data. ArcView may be used to create geographic maps, manipulate spatial features, analyse attributes and characteristics, and visualise spatial information in an understandable form. Current versions of the software enable the user to import and manipulate several content types in a spatial environment, including demographic information, CAD designs, still images and other types of content.

Features:

• Integrated query-building functionality to interrogate a dataset in order to answer research questions. For example, distance measurement, feature location
• Availability of map templates to create a consistent layout and appearance.
• Plug-in support that allows use of first-party and third-party extensions to perform tasks unsupported in the base installation of the software. E.g. raster geo-processing and three-dimensional analysis.

A&H use case 1 description:

‘Predicting the location of hominid sites in Africa and Asia’ project has used the software to geo-reference a dataset of locations in Africa and Asia, in order to assess the relationship between bone collagen preservation and geographic location of archaeological sites.

Publisher:

ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute)

Data analysis:

Spatial data analysis

Specifications:

Windows Enhanced MetaFile (EMF)

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)

Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)

Portable Document Format (PDF)

ESRI Digital Elevation Model (DEM)

polyline

polygon

floating GRID

Adobe Illustrator (AI)

Software/programming languages used:

ArcView

Suite:

ArchGIS

Data capture:

Geophysical survey

GPS and total station surveys

Tags:

GIS

Data structuring and enhancement:

Geo-referencing and projection

Licence:

lifecycleStage:

Platform:

By Valentina Asciutti at Wed, 20/01/2010 - 11:47

Read more about ArcView

tool: GIMP: GNU Image Manipulation Program

Purpose:

A multi-platform software application primarily used for image composition and editing. The basic tool may be augmented by plug-ins and extensions that allow the use of new file formats, effects filters and batch processing capabilities. GIMP was initially created to manipulate raster images, but has been extended to provide limited vector image and moving image support.

Features:

• Tile-based memory management system, which uses disk space to store images that cannot be physically held in memory.
• Alpha channel support for working with transparency
• Layer and channel support
• A procedural database for calling internal GIMP functions from external programs, such as Script-Fu
• Plug-in support enabling use of new file formats and effects filters
• GIM Animation Package supports moving image formats.

A&H use case 1 description:

The Isambard Kingdom Brunel papers (1806 - 1859) project use GIMP to manipulate high-quality TIFFs of Brunel's notebooks, sketchbooks and letters for export to a compressed JPEG format for publication.

Creator:

GIMP Team

Publisher:

GIMP Team

Data structuring and enhancement:

Image enhancement

Image restoration

Data capture:

2d scanning and photography

Specifications: