Machine learning as a tool for locating archaeological sites

What is it about?

This paper reviews research on machine learning algorithms (i.e., techniques for automatically examining information) that have been used by archaeologists. Specifically, this paper looks at object‐based image analysis (OBIA), which is a specific method of investigating image data. OBIA uses shape, size, and texture information to identify objects. By adding more characteristics to the analysis, the accuracy of these methods can be increased. Future research should push for the use of OBIA methods in directly studying human settlement patterns, and data sharing of methods and code should be increased between researchers.

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Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This paper summarizes the work that has been conducted using these machine learning methods in archaeology. The specific emphasis on OBIA represents one of the first publications on this method with a purely archaeological focus. As such, this paper provides a comprehensive reference of research that has been done using these methods since its creation at the turn of the 21st century.