Arranged Delirium

At Pompeii, they are using the Apple Tablet Device for data collection. It’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about ever since the device hit the market, and it seems that they have done a great job with it. You can find a good deal of information at the web site Apple has devoted to it:

They are using a series of pre-existing applications to get the job done. I’m interested in taking a different approach with some custom development - more on that in a later post - but their efforts have the winning attribute of working today. I’m particularly struck by the efficiencies and time-savings this brings to the data collection process in archaeology. Everyone will be doing this in future years; and I think we’ll be watching this type of technology shape the actual way in which we do archaeology.

My friend Bill has some interesting thoughts on digital workflow on his blog, and I was particularly struck by my own reflection on how little we need paper anymore. As long as the digital tool is easy enough to use (and that’s a primary prerequisite) I can ‘t think of anything I would want to keep track of on paper, that I couldn’t do electronically. I can even easily keep track of changes in my thinking as more evidence comes to light during data collection.