CAA Conference

The Learning Sites project concerns the development of a communication and data-exchange tool for archaeological field survey. This involves a free open source Python plugin for a mobile QGIS application that uses a client-server setup to exchange collected data, images and text messages. PostgreSQL/PostGIS records, geotagged photographs and chat messages can be synchronized with use of a simple toolbar and assessed within the QGIS interface. Where this has obvious benefits for efficient data-management for any fieldwork project, the main goal is to improve the potential for participants to contribute and learn. Specialists can provide direct feedback, complex data can easily be exchanged, results directly analyzed. This provides opportunities for field teams to continuously tap into available expertise and creates awareness for methodological issues such as collection strategies. Apart from the possibilities for mobile learning, this can be expected to improve the fieldwork and results in general.