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Pre-Columbian Archeological Sites on San Salvador Island, Bahamas

Pre-Columbian Archeological Sites on San Salvador Island, Bahamas. 6 December 2007 Intro to GIS GCSU Geography Research Performed by : Dr. Jeff Blick GIS Analysis/Presentation Performed by: Hope Hopkins. Problem Statement.

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Pre-Columbian Archeological Sites on San Salvador Island, Bahamas

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  1. Pre-Columbian Archeological Sites on San Salvador Island, Bahamas 6 December 2007 Intro to GIS GCSU Geography Research Performed by : Dr. Jeff Blick GIS Analysis/Presentation Performed by: Hope Hopkins

  2. Problem Statement • To perform a GIS analysis on Pre-Columbian Settlements found on San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. The purpose of this analysis will be to: • help identify abundances in particular ecological sites • use spatial references to establish a Settlement Pattern Analysis • both will help with Anthropological questions and also with the indication of the location of future sites.

  3. Problems • Put on Different Layers • Prehistoric Sites (Red Dots) • ‘prehistoric_sites’; 556-1500ADHistoric Sites (Yellow Dots) • ‘colonial_sites’; late 1700s-1900AD • Total Land Area of Island (sq.km) • 163km2? • Settlement Pattern Analysis • Prehistoric site density per 1500 meters (approx. 1 mile) • Distance Between Sites • Point Distance • Buffer Analysis to Indicate What Resources are Within the Radius • 500m • 1000m • 1500m • Trends in vegetation or marine ecosystems indicating locations of future unexcavated sites. • Site Proximity of 1500m • Agriculturally Disturbed Area (Soil Fertility?) • Freshwater Wetlands • Lake or Pond?

  4. Sites on Different Layers • Load archeological_sites from X:\DATA\Bahamas\featureclasses • Use selection menu to select features including those classified as ‘prehistoric’ • Export data to create new layer and shapefile titled ‘prehistoric_sites’ • Deselect features • Select attributes for ‘colonial sites’ • Export data to create new later and shape file title ‘colonial_sites’

  5. Land Area • Total Land Area: Previously calculated as approximately 163km2 • New calculation performed at request of Dr. Blick for actual land area estimate excluding tidal creek, lakes and wetlands • Result: Approx. 94km2

  6. Settlement Pattern Analysis ‘Near’ Sp join

  7. Buffers • Add Data for ‘prehistoric_sites’ • Add buffer using analysis tools, proximity, buffer-1500m • Add shapefiles as necessary • Ex: ‘vegetation’ • Identity tool • Analysis tools, overlay, identity • Enter properties file of shapefile and under symbology- • Categories, value field-’type’

  8. Buffers

  9. Trends: Disturbed Areas

  10. Trends: Wetlands

  11. Trends: Lakes and Ponds

  12. Results…To Be Continued… • After creating the new layers for Pre-Historic sites and Colonial Sites, various applications were used with the ‘prehistoric_sites layer’ and shapefile. • The total land area calculated excluding wetlands, lakes and tidal creek is 94km2. • Using ‘Spatial Join’, the number of sites within 1500m of one another, averaging 3 sites per 1500m • Buffers indicate resources within a 1500m area. • Using ‘near’ function, distances between sites and other sites were noted: • Avg. Distance= 979m • Avg. Shortest Distance=844m • Pre-Historic Sites showed the trends: • Located within 1500m area of agriculturally disturbed areas, perhaps an indication of soil fertitlity • Located within 1500m area of marshes • Located within 1500m of water resource-lake or pond, particularly ponds as they are more numerous in dispersion. There is much more research to be performed- The analysis of this information more thoroughly could answer many question about the past.

  13. QUESTIONS?

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