For almost as long as archaeologists have been using computers they have been exploited to render and visualise archaeological data. In origins Second Site began by exploring the use of computer games to visualise archaeological landscapes based on real archaeological survey data. Part of this innovation comes from the recognition that modern archaeological surveys produce such large volumes of data (thousands of three-dimensional elevation observations from GPS topographical surveys, millions from airborne or terrestrial laser scanning) that new methods are needed to appropriately explore such wealth, part also comes from a sense of ennui brought on by traditional 2D static renderings of survey data and part from a recognition that game software is cheap compared to bespoke computer graphics programmes (tens of pounds rather than hundreds or thousands).
As it has developed the blog has expanded to consider many facets of landscape, visualiation of data, computer cartography and anything else that grabs my attention.
