Fieldwork
Southern Research is equipped with a full complement of field equipment and is capable of operating multiple crews on simultaneous projects. The company owns three, four-wheel drive trucks for remote and rugged terrain and rents other vehicles as needed. Our field crews are always well equipped and show up prepared and ready for work. On surveys, each crew member is equipped with a GPS receiver capable of real time positional location to +/- 2 m. We also own a Topcon total station with a data recorder that allows for fast and accurate site mapping and data transfer. With these systems, field locations can be recorded and the stored data can be downloaded in our lab and used with AutoCAD, ArcView or other software applications to produce accurate maps of sites and survey locations.
Laboratory
Southern Research maintains a modern, fully equipped, 7,500 square foot laboratory, office and warehouse facility in just outside of Columbus, Georgia. This facility includes separate wet and dry labs for processing artifacts, a conservation lab, graphics stations for producing CAD maps and report figures, a reference library, and a secure and climate controlled storage area.
Our laboratory facility is fully equipped for processing archaeological materials from the time they are brought in from the field until the final report is produced. With a permanent full-time lab staff, the company has the ability to wash, identify and analyze all kinds of archaeological materials. All archaeological data are catalogued and entered into a database program for inventorying purposes and for principal investigators to use during analysis and interpretation. We maintain a secure on premises warehouse for short-term artifact storage. This 4,000 square foot facility can hold collections until a final curation facility is selected.
Artifact data analysis
Artifacts recovered during excavations are analyzed and recorded into Microsoft Access along with geo-referenced provenience information. This data can then be manipulated and used to create tables and graphs answering research specific questions and can be queried for spatial analysis questions as well. Southern Research uses both Microsoft Excel 2000 and Corel QuattroPro 10 to create bar graphs and charts as well as extraction tables.
Microsoft Access 2000 is used to produce artifact inventories for inclusion in the archaeological report. Artifact data can be linked to images of specific illustrated artifacts. Artifacts are illustrated for reports using Corel PhotoPaint 9. The artifact is scanned at 300 dpi using a flatbed scanner and is placed with like materials on a color background at a 1:1 scale.
Maps and graphic design
Southern Research staff members have over twenty years combined experience working with computer aided drafting (CAD), global information system (GIS), graphic design, data management, and publishing softwares. We are currently using DesignCAD 3D MAX, AutoCAD LT 2002, Surfer 8, and ArcView 3.2 to provide our clients with the accurate and informative maps needed for project management. For graphic design we employ both CorelDraw, and Adobe PhotoPaint (version 9) and Adobe Illustrator 8.0.
Southern Research uses a Total Station laser transit to record features and key topographical points during phase II and phase III archaeological excavations. Data is downloaded from the collector to TDS Survey Works Survey Link 4.02 software where it is converted to dxf format for CAD systems or ASCII format for data sorting and spatial analysis systems. Topographic maps with location of test units, features, datums and key landmarks are then created in CAD. Unit profiles and plans, and feature profiles and plans are drafted in CAD as well.
Artifact density maps and spatial analysis illustrations are created using Surfer 8. Further spatial analysis questions can be answered using ArcView 3.2 and data extracted from the relational database. Specific queries commonly used for Phase III reports include site type distribution, and site period distribution (i.e. location of grist mills within a region or all woodland period village sites within a county).
Report production
Southern Research produces the highest quality reports using the Adobe Publishing Platform. The Adobe platform consists of PageMaker 6.5, Acrobat 4.0, Illustrator 8.0, and Acrobat Reader 5.0. Reports are formatted using PageMaker, which enables Southern Research to seamlessly incorporate constituent parts (i.e. CAD drawings, historic images, artifacts illustrations, text, and tables and graphs) into a cohesive body for printing.
All reports can also be delivered in an electronic format on CD-ROM. Adobe Acrobats portable document file (PDF) is used to transform individual reports into searchable, full color electronic files which can be easily distributed and viewed using Adobe Reader freeware. Artifact inventories saved in PDF format can be hyperlinked to illustrations of individual artifacts or site, unit or feature maps and can also be delivered on CD-ROM. We have the graphic capabilities to produce detailed maps, profiles, plans of archaeological sites and features, and illustrate artifacts in color or black and white for final reports. Camera-ready final reports can be produced in several media, including paper reports or on CD. We own a Ricoh CL 7000D color laser printer that allows us to produce the highest quality reports while maintaining the quality control that makes Southern Research a leader in research and compliance reporting.
