I guess as many archaeologists could dream really can carry a computer operating the excavation. The reason is easy to understand: all the notes he took, all the data we generate, and all the sketches we draw are usually on paper and in one way or another end up being typed or scanned to your computer. So have a computer in the excavation work could save us, and avoid mistakes. Where do I sign up?
A priori, the reigning technological optimism and the wide range of devices that can operate in the field seems wide and suitable for this type of work and environments. We PDAs with GPS, lightweight notebooks, etc. The question is: Are they really operating?.
A little to try to use a computer in excavation we realize that, first, a field team must meet certain requirements and be able to overcome so many difficulties. Namely
1 - The size. Interested teams as small as possible. For example, for a single record of data and word processing, a PDA with an external keyboard can be an excellent choice.
2 - battery life. The most common portable batteries tend to last a maximum of two hours, and the same goes for handhelds, but we usually be many more hours. So we must ensure availability of equipment and devices that meet this constraint, ie, spare batteries and / or as we noted in another post , solar chargers.
3 - The brightness of the screen. Conventional computers are not exactly adapted to work in the open, so that in a few words can hardly see a damn. There are however appropriate screens for these environmental conditions.
4 - And most importantly, durable. Ie, that support hands full of dirt, dirty, dust in the air, high humidity (eg in caves), shock, etc. Can you imagine for example a macbook air muddy and grated screen? A true aberration.
In fact, much of what we are talking about refers to the concept of computer "ruggerizado ( rugged computer in English). Device is ready to survive the most harsh and extreme conditions. To be considered and must also comply with certain standards , and logically everything for a price.
Among the brands that have computers ruggerizeds I found the series of ThoughBook Panasonic , equipment companies Armor, Ergo, Itronix , TerraLogic or other enough. To find out what prices we are talking to us with a desirable Panasonic Toughbook CF-U1 we prepare € 1900 or more.
sometimes so there are covers or casings ruggerizadas for certain devices that allow use with certain guarantees. For example, for Asus R2E , there is a FUNDIT ruggerizada worth only € 140 for nothing.
A type of teams that have entered strongly in the market are the ultraportable Asus eeePC opening the gap. They are portable, low cost (about 300 €), light, and adequate benefits for the purposes we care about. They are resistant to shock, but if they suffer a mishap does not hurt us as a team dearly. Take a look .
In the world of PDA's are also many models designed to withstand harsh conditions and even extreme. Many of these handhelds are commonly used to download data from the surveying equipment, and are intended for stronger military. Of course the price increases with respect to the conventional PDA. A good collection can check the here. And as in the case of laptops, there are rugged covers that help protect our environments. See for example it on ebay.
So many of the disadvantages of a computer lead to the excavation and is fully operative are fixed technically. You just need money, some money and add some more money. The privileged in the budget are in luck (as always).
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