Developing a protoype AI algorithm to recognize archaeological artifacts and features for the software STRATUM

ArchaeoSoft Inc. was created to develop the software STRATUM, a mobile platform for collecting archaeologiucla data while doing field work. The workflow archaeoilogists use is complex and requires significant ability to recognize important information and record it appropriately, to conduct archaeological procedures to the standards of regulators, to manage teams in their data collection process, and to switch between tasks as necessary. Therefore, creating a software with appropriate workflows and interfaces is a challenge, and the main task while designing the software has been decreasing the cognitive burden of the user as much as possible. The objective of this project is to use AI to automatically perform one archaeological documentation task: identifying and recording data about artifacts based on their shapes. This will significantly lower the cognitive workload of archaeologists both in the field and the lab and will serve as a valuable teaching tool for less experienced archaeological workers and students. The app that we create during the project will become incorporated into STRATUM, a software developed for archaeological fieldwork.

Faculty Supervisor:

Paul Cook

Student:

Partner:

ArchaeoSoft Inc.

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of New Brunswick

Program: