IKUWA6. Shared Heritage. Proceedings of the Sixth International Congress on Underwater Archaeology, 28 November-2 December 2016: 392-400, Western Australian Maritime Museum, Fremantle, Western Australia: Archeopress Publications Ltd., 2016
This paper supports the contention that legacy excavation data, when integrated with new technolo... more This paper supports the contention that legacy excavation data, when integrated with new technologies, can provide valuable information to maritime archaeologists, which otherwise would not be obtainable. The Western Australian Museum (WAM) carried out four seasons of excavation and reburial on the James Matthews wreck-site between 1973 and 1977. During the 1975-1976 excavation archaeologists completed a detailed three-dimensional (3D) in-situ survey of the fully exposed starboard hull from keelson to deck level, and from bow to stern, recording almost 5000 points of interest. Digitising the full 3D survey data from the original survey sheets, held in the archive by the Maritime Archaeology Department at WAM created the opportunity to develop a fully 3D digital model of the buried remains of the James Matthews shipwreck using AutoCAD software and powerful computer processing with graphic capabilities. By rotating the view of the digitally reconstructed model, the shape of the hull and orientation/alignment of structural timbers became evident, revealing distortions and the effects of wreck event and post wreck-site formation processes not previously seen by visual inspection underwater or from the 2D plan. The 3D digital model also provides validation to new non-invasive sub-bottom profiling instruments (marine seismic reflection that penetrates into the seabed), such as the INNOMAR parametric SES-2000 compact SBP, for in-situ management and archaeological research purposes.
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Papers by Trevor Winton
This chapter provides an overview of the rise of 3D technologies in the practice of maritime archaeology and sets the scene for the following chapters in this volume. Evidence is presented for a paradigm shift in the discipline from 2D to 3D recording and interpretation techniques which becomes particularly evident in publications from 2009. This is due to the emergence or improvement of a suite of sonar, laser, optical and other sensor-based technologies capable of capturing terrestrial, intertidal, seabed and sub-seabed sediments in 3D and in high resolution. The general increase in available computing power and convergence between technologies such as Geographic Information Systems and 3D modelling software have catalysed this process. As a result, a wide variety of new analytical approaches have begun to develop within maritime archaeology. These approaches, rather than the sensor technologies themselves, are of most interest to the maritime archaeologist and provide the core content for this volume. We conclude our discussion with a brief consideration of key issues such as survey standards, digital archiving and future directions.
This open access peer-reviewed volume was inspired by the UNESCO UNITWIN Network for Underwater Archaeology International Workshop held at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia in November 2016. Content is based on, but not limited to, the work presented at the workshop which was dedicated to 3D recording and interpretation for maritime archaeology. The volume consists of contributions from leading international experts as well as up-and-coming early career researchers from around the globe.
The content of the book includes recording and analysis of maritime archaeology through emerging technologies, including both practical and theoretical contributions. Topics include photogrammetric recording, laser scanning, marine geophysical 3D survey techniques, virtual reality, 3D modelling and reconstruction, data integration and Geographic Information Systems.
The principal incentive for this publication is the ongoing rapid shift in the methodologies of maritime archaeology within recent years and a marked increase in the use of 3D and digital approaches. This convergence of digital technologies such as underwater photography and photogrammetry, 3D sonar, 3D virtual reality, and 3D printing has highlighted a pressing need for these new methodologies to be considered together, both in terms of defining the state-of-the-art and for consideration of future directions.
As a scholarly publication, the audience for the book includes students and researchers, as well as professionals working in various aspects of archaeology, heritage management, education, museums, and public policy. It will be of special interest to those working in the field of coastal cultural resource management and underwater archaeology but will also be of broader interest to anyone interested in archaeology and to those in other disciplines who are now engaging with 3D recording and visualization.