UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA
ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGY GRANT APPLICATION
Section 1. Cover Page
PROPOSAL TITLE: Photogrammetric Recording of Archaeological Excavations
APPLICANT’S NAME: Robert Thunen
APPLICANT’S RANK: Associate Professor
COLLEGE/DEPARTMENT: College of Arts and Science Department of Sociology,
Anthropology, and Social Welfare
COLLABORATING FACULTY / RANK / AFFILIATION:
None
Have any of the applicants received an Academic Technology Grant before?
Yes
No
If “Yes” then you must submit a summary of project as Appendix A
I have confirmed that the items budgeted in this proposal are not services already covered by
UNF’s ITS department.
Yes
No
The electronic version of your application must be submitted as an Adobe PDF file. Each
application must include the sections listed below, formatted using 1-inch margins and 12-point
Times New Roman font. All sections, unless otherwise noted, must be double-spaced. All
sections of the application must have a footer that includes the title, the name of the applicant
and the page number. It is imperative that all sections are submitted as instructed, and that all
formatting instructions and page and word limits be followed. Failure to do so will result in
rejection of the application.
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Photogrammetric Recording of Archaeological Excavations
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Section 2: Proposal Narrative
In archaeological excavations recording of artifacts and architecture requires accurate
measurements and note taking of the excavations because in digging we destroy the
archaeological context (spatial relationship of artifacts and architecture) we are investigating.
With the development of Agisoft PhotoScan software (www.agisoft.com) archaeologists can
now reconstruct an excavation in 3d through the use of a consumer or professional digital
cameras. This software accurately measures architectural walls, excavation profiles, and artifact
clusters well after the excavations have occurred.
This is a revolutionary development in
archaeological technology. Not only can it be used on excavations, but also the software will
produce 3-d models of individual artifacts and construct 3d spatial data. This will be used by
students in the archaeology laboratory to study a series of similar artifacts, such as the decoration
on pottery vessels where we only have individual sherds from a vessel. The software is
complimentary to software used in the lab: Surfer 11 (a mapping program which generates both
topographic and 3d maps) and ArcGIS. PhotoScan professional will export file data right into
Surfer and ArcGIS to create topographic maps of any surface, be it a human face, an artifact, or
the shell and dirt floor of a Kingsley Plantation Slave Cabin.
The software program is both an important research tool, but also a creative teaching tool as
well. 3-d models of excavations could be used in classes such as Fundamentals of Archaeology
or Introduction to Anthropology to examine current and past excavations, particular artifacts or
items such as a Neanderthal Skull. We are requesting two copies of the software one for the lab
to be housed on a lab computer, which also has ArcGIS and Surfer, installed on it and are used
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by faculty and students for research. The other copy would be housed on a portable computer to
use in the field and in classroom as part of both teaching and research.
The ease of the user interface allows students and faculty to generate complex data sets (referred
to as point clouds) to visualize and measure archaeological excavations and materials. Our
students will have access to novel and creative software, putting them in the front of rapid
changes in digital recording and presentation techniques. Agisoft 3-d models can be built into
websites or stand-alone models for use in the lab or classroom. This software is more than just a
panorama stitching or 3-d modeling program--its ability to take digital photographs from
different elevations and angles to create accurate 3-d map/models allows archaeologists to
visualize their excavations in new ways and keep precise digital records of excavations. This
helps both the research and also can be used in public archaeology presentation to inform the
public about the archaeological process and important research being carried out by the lab
within the region. Current examples include our search for Fort Caroline, or the excavations at
the Spanish Mission of Santa Cruz on National Park Property on Black Hammock Island, or the
work on the prehistory site of St. Johns II people in the Mill Cove section of the St. John River.
This software would be an important tool for use both by researchers and students to record and
interpret archaeological excavations. If the proposal is funded we plan on integrating the
software into the archaeological field school this summer. Then in the fall, we will sponsor bag
lunch seminars for demonstration and hands on training to small groups of students to familiarize
them with the software’s potential. One only needs to type “Agisoft Archaeology” into to
YouTube to see the possibility of new ways of visualizing not only the past but also the future
direction of archaeological research and recording.
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Section 3: Budget and Timeline
A. Budget
Two copies of Agisoft Photo Professional Edition software (Educational License) 2@ $549.00
Total $1098.00
B. Timeline
Purchase of the Software April or Early May 2016
Archaeological Fieldwork Summer A & B 2016
Teaching Sessions for Students Fall of 2016
Final Report to the Committee January 31, 2017
Section: 4 Chair’s Letter (see following page)
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Department of Sociology,
Anthropology, and Social Work
January 29, 2016 Dear Committee: I write to you in enthusiastic support of Dr. Robert Thunen’s application for an Academic Technology Grant. The software at the center of this proposal – Agisoft PhotoScan –will provide our faculty and students with opportunities to document and study archeological sites using the most current technology. Dr. Thunen is one of a number of our faculty who are conducting research on Northeast Florida’s many valuable archaeological sites. I am confident that this software will advance his research as well as that of the other archaeologists on our faculty, an should prove a particularly valuable resource in developing presentations. I am also excited about the opportunities this new tool will provide for our students. We pride ourselves on the number and range of opportunities we create for students to apply their classroom learning in ‘real world’ settings. Many participate in our summer Archaeological Field School, in laboratory analysis courses, and in directed independent studies that allow them to conduct supervised research in the field and/or lab. Because Dr. Thunen has requested two copies of this software, Agisoft PhotoScan will be available to students in both settings as a means of enhancing their research. Students will also gain technical skills that will aid their pursuits following graduating, whether graduate study or careers. The Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work is able to contribute 10% of the budget, $110, to advance this initiative. I hope that you will give this proposal your highest consideration. Sincerely, Krista E. Paulsen Associate Professor and Chair 1 UNF Drive Jacksonville FL 32224
(904)620-2850
http://www.unf.edu/coas/sasw/