Introduction

This chapter describes the way that spatial and attribute data are structured and stored for use within a GIS. It provides the necessary information about data models and database design to enable archaeologists unfamiliar with computer databases to make appropriate decisions about how best to construct a system that will work well and efficiently.

A database is a collection of information that is structured and recorded in a consistent manner. A card catalogue that records information about archaeological sites, such as their location and date, is as much a database as a full-fledged web-searchable digital sites and monuments record. Digital databases differ from their paper counterparts mainly in that they are dependent on database software for searching and retrieving records. The complexity of the data structure will also be increased as digital databases are often broken into several different related files. This reduces the amount of duplicated information in a database, improves access speed and also enables the retrieval of small subsets of data rather than complete records. Software that is used to store, manage and manipulate data is referred to as a Database Management System (DBMS). The objectives of a DBMS are to store and retrieve data records in the most efficient way possible, from both the perspective of the overall size of the database and also the speed at which that data can be accessed.

The technology of DBMS is a major research focus in computer science.