Luís Carlos Seco

Abstract
The increasing relevance of remote sensing and artificial intelligence (AI) for archaeological research and cultural heritage management is undeniable. However, there is a critical gap in this field. Many studies conclude with identifying hundreds or even thousands of potential sites, but very few follow through with crucial fieldwork validation to confirm their existence. This research addresses this gap by proposing and implementing a fieldwork validation pipeline. In northern Portugal's Alto Minho region, we employed this pipeline to verify 237 potential burial mounds identified by an AI-powered algorithm. Fieldwork provided valuable information on the optimal conditions for burial mounds and the specific factors that led the algorithm to err. Based on these insights, we implemented two key improvements to the algorithm. First, we incorporated a slope map derived from LiDAR-generated terrain models to eliminate potential burial mound inferences in areas with high slopes. Second, we trained a Vision Transformer model using digital orthophotos of both confirmed burial mounds and previously identified False Positives. This further refines the algorithm's ability to distinguish genuine sites. The improved algorithm was then tested in two areas: the original Alto Minho validation region and the Barbanza region in Spain, where the location of burial mounds was well established through prior field work.

Abstract
Geospatial data acquisition methods like airborne LiDAR allow for obtaining large volumes of data, such as aerial and satellite imagery, which are increasingly being used in archaeology. As in other subjects, the ability to produce raw datasets far exceeds the capacity of domain experts to process and analyze them, but recent developments in image processing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Machine Learning (ML) and related technologies enable the transformation of large volumes of data into useful information. However, these technologies are challenging to use and not designed to interact with each other. Hence, tools are needed to efficiently manage, share, document, and reuse archaeological data. This article presents the Odyssey SDI platform, a spatial data infrastructure for annotating, validating, and visualizing data about archaeological sites. This platform is built upon GeoNode, and special-purpose modules were developed for dealing with archaeological information. The main contribution is the integration of remote sensing, GIS features and ML algorithms in a single framework. © 2024 The Author(s).

Abstract
Resumo:Com este estudo apresenta-se uma nova perspectiva tridimensional do Castelo Velho de Safara (Moura), um dos grandes povoados muralhados da Idade do Ferro/período Romano Republicano existentes na linha do Rio Guadiana, criada a partir de um levantamento de alta resolução realizado com sensor LiDAR acoplado a um drone. O resultado obtido permitiu a definição detalhada da planta da muralha, o que implicou a revisão da superfície de ocupação, que agora é estimada em cerca de 1.36 hectares. Foram também identificados vários elementos inéditos, como a zona da entrada e eventuais soluções de reforço defensivo. Os dados obtidos para o Castelo Velho de Safara demonstram o potencial dos dados LiDAR para o reconhecimento das características topográficas deste tipo de recintos fortificados, cuja visibilidade das estruturas nem sempre é possível a olho nu.Palavras-chave: Idade do Ferro; Período Romano Republicano; Estruturas defensivas; Drone; LiDAR.   Abstract:This study presents a new tridimensional perspective on Castelo Velho de Safara (Moura), one of the great walled settlements of the Iron Age/Roman Republic by the Guadiana River, obtained through a high-resolution survey using a drone integrated with a LiDAR sensor. The outline of the walls was defined in more detail, which meant revising the occupation area, now estimated at circa 1.36 hectares. Several unknown elements were detected, such as the entrance area and other possible defensive structures. The data obtained for the Castelo Velho de Safara demonstrate the potential of LiDAR for understanding the topographical characteristics of this type of fortified enclosure, whose structural remains are not always clear to the naked eye.Keywords: Iron Age; Roman Republic; Defensive structures; Drone; LiDAR; Odyssey.

Abstract
This study presents a new tridimensional perspective on Castelo Velho de Safara (Moura), one of the great walled settlements of the Iron Age/Roman Republic by the Guadiana River, obtained through a high-resolution survey using a drone integrated with a LiDAR sensor. The outline of the walls was defined in more detail, which meant revising the occupation area, now estimated at circa 1.36 hectares. Several unknown elements were detected, such as the entrance area and other possible defensive structures. The data obtained for the Castelo Velho de Safara demonstrate the potential of LiDAR for understanding the topographical characteristics of this type of fortified enclosure, whose structural remains are not always clear to the naked eye. © 2023, APEQ - Associacao Portuguesa para o Estudo do Quaternario. All rights reserved.

Abstract
GIS are an essential element in archaeology. Their use has become widespread for their potential to store, reference, analyse and visualise spatial information. Nonetheless, to the best of our knowledge, a systematic review of academic peer-reviewed publications related to the use of GIS, as a framework, in archaeology has never been presented before. Our goal in this work is to identify what has been published so far in relation to using GIS in archaeology within a small selected sample. We used the PRISMA guideline to perform a systematic review of 671 publications that we identified using the SCOPUS database and the keywords ‘GIS’ and ‘archaeology’. The collected publications were screened, analysed, and categorized into different relevant categories. Our analysis shows that GIS, in our selected sample, are mostly used for visualization and information management tasks. Moreover, spatial analysis studies were more common than other studies, and theoretical publications are scarce. The lack of a theoretical background in GIS may be the cause of some of the problems related to GIS applications in archaeology.