Dreaming of Perfect Data: Characterizing Noise in Archaeo-Geophysical Measurements

For the interpretation of archaeological geophysical data as archaeological features, it is essential that the recorded anomalies can be clearly delineated and analyzed, and therefore, care has been taken to obtain the best possible data. However, as with all measurements, data are degraded by unwan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geosciences (Basel) 2020-10, Vol.10 (10), p.382
Main Authors: Schmidt, Armin, Dabas, Michel, Sarris, Apostolos
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anomalies
anomaly
Archaeology
Archaeology and Prehistory
Classical Physics
contrast
detectability
Earth science
Earth Sciences
Geophysical data
Geophysics
Global positioning systems
GPS
Humanities and Social Sciences
Instruments
Investigations
Noise
Noise levels
Physical properties
Physics
Positioning systems
Sciences of the Universe
Sensors
Soil
Soils
Synchronism
Synchronization
Wavelengths
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Description
Summary:For the interpretation of archaeological geophysical data as archaeological features, it is essential that the recorded anomalies can be clearly delineated and analyzed, and therefore, care has been taken to obtain the best possible data. However, as with all measurements, data are degraded by unwanted components, or noise. This review clarifies the terminology, discusses the four major sources of noise (instrument, use of instrument, external, soil), and demonstrates how it can be characterized using geostatistical and wavenumber methods. It is important to recognize that even with improved instruments, some noise sources, like soil noise, may persist and that degraded data may be the result of unexpected sources, for example, global positioning system synchronization problems. Suggestions for the evaluation and recording of noise levels are provided to allow estimation of the limit of detection for archaeological geophysical anomalies.
ISSN:2076-3263
2076-3263
DOI:10.3390/geosciences10100382