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CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
RKO GIS is a field-first archaeological data platform being developed for cultural resource management. Survey, GNSS positioning, field records, photography, access information, navigation, and project data come together in one connected, offline-capable workflow—designed around the way archaeologists actually work.
FIELD-FIRST • OFFLINE-FIRST • GNSS-AWARE
KEY FIELD FEATURES
Distance, direction, target status, and GNSS positioning information come together in a focused navigation experience. As you approach a target, RKO GIS shifts emphasis from getting you there to confidently locating the intended position.
Direction when you're moving. Precision when you're close.Record observations, capture field documentation, work with project information, and navigate available project data without continuous cellular service. When connectivity returns, eligible information can synchronize with the wider project.
Loss of internet service shouldn't mean loss of the workday.Organize additional testing, track developing results, and visualize the expanding spatial pattern against project limits and relevant field information.
Each result informs what happens next.RKO GIS is developing field synchronization intended to help nearby crew devices exchange important project information during disconnected operations and give the crew chief a more current picture of field progress.
Better coordination. Less duplicated effort.IN DEVELOPMENTSelect a left- or right-handed field layout so frequently used controls can be positioned where they're easier to reach while the other hand is occupied with field equipment.
The software should adapt to the archaeologist.MORE THAN A FIELD MAP
Phase I shovel-test survey, pedestrian survey, site delineation, observations, photographs, artifact information, and expanding workflows for more intensive investigation.
Positioning quality considered in relation to the archaeological record being collected, helping field personnel recognize when conditions may not be appropriate for a task.
Green access authorized · Yellow restrictions · Red do not enter. Keep project-specific access information visible in the field.
Connect photographs, observations, artifact information, field logs, spatial records, and related documentation to their archaeological context.
Designed with interoperability in mind so field information remains useful in broader archaeological, GIS, reporting, and project workflows.
FROM SURVEY TO SITE DELINEATION
Navigate → Observe → Record → Validate → Document → Coordinate → Synchronize → Review
The objective isn't simply to collect more data. It's to maintain a clearer connection between where something happened, what was observed, who recorded it, and how that information contributes to the archaeological project.
BUILT AROUND ARCHAEOLOGISTS
Instead of asking how archaeology can fit GIS software, RKO GIS asks how GIS software should work if it were designed around archaeological fieldwork from the beginning.
Different places. Same questions. Better field tools.
WHAT'S NEXT
Optional AI-assisted decision support is being explored for GIS/GNSS, lithics, historic artifacts, faunal material, field methods, and field safety. It is not a replacement for training, specialists, laboratory analysis, or professional judgment.
Future development is intended to explore aerial imagery, photogrammetry, LiDAR, terrain information, orthomosaics, and other remote-sensing datasets alongside conventional field records.
We are developing and field-testing the core Android platform and archaeological field workflows. Current work focuses on Precision Navigator, offline-capable data collection, GNSS-aware recording, shovel-test workflows, positive-test delineation, project mapping, field synchronization, and Android field usability.
Less time on the technology. More time doing archaeology.