The ArchaeoTech Podcast · The Archaeology Podcast Network

Data Strategies on a CRM Project in Saudi Arabia - Ep 202

·56 min·3 clips

Editing an internal ID in ICMT GIS can crash the whole program.

1. The ArchaeoTech Podcast episode 202 centers on Paul Zimmerman’s two months of fieldwork in Saudi Arabia and the tools he used there. 2. Chris Webster hosts the conversation, and Paul Zimmerman returns as co-host after working in the field for the last two months. 3. The episode asks what data strategies, cameras, survey tools, and scanners were useful on a Saudi Arabia CRM project near Al-Ula. 4. Paul says the work was for an American CRM company hired by the Royal Commission for Al-Ula. 5. He names Al-Ula, Dedan, and Hegra as the archaeological context for the projects. 6. He divides the discussion into data collection, data processing, and data storage. 7. ICMT GIS is the mobile GIS system he used, and he says it behaved like a Windows 95-era program. 8. He describes a crash caused by editing an internal feature ID to match an existing object. 9. He argues that programmers should hide internal IDs from end users because the data can be damaged. 10. He says the project required paper sketch maps, but he wanted GIS maps that could also be printed and annotated. 11. He compares paper sketching with GIS accuracy and says each method has strengths. 12. Paul says he used both iPads and DSLRs for photography on the project. 13. He prefers iPad Mini 6s for field use because the GPS data and EXIF direction metadata help organize photographs. 14. He still prefers DSLRs for carefully composed art photos and object photography because he can control depth of field. 15. Paul says Leica GNSS receivers worked well for laying control points across an abandoned village. 16. He pairs that with total stations, saying they still matter when cliffs or buildings block the sky. 17. He describes an older Leica total station with a laser plummet and says he exported its data through a formatting-file workaround. 18. He says a GeoSlam Zeb Horizon handheld laser scanner captured room interiors for about 20 minutes before overheating. 19. The episode keeps a practical, technical interview style with Chris asking follow-up questions and Paul answering from field experience. 20. Listeners who like archaeological field tech, surveying workflows, and documentation methods will get the most from it; listeners wanting a light overview may skip it.

As heard by us

A practical field session on how GNSS, total stations, and photogrammetry work together.

Paul's return from Saudi Arabia becomes a grounded look at field surveying and site work. The discussion moves through GNSS receivers, total stations, photogrammetry, excavation, burial monitoring, and the consolidation and reconstruction of buildings for tourism, with a clear…

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If you want a gear-heavy archaeology conversation from Saudi Arabia, start here.

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