The ArchaeoTech Podcast · The Archaeology Podcast Network

GIS in CRM with Heather McDaniel McDevitt - Ep 198

·44 min·2 clips

Heather says one project found nearly 200 sites after earlier work had identified only five.

1. The ArchaeoTech Podcast episode 198 focuses on GIS in CRM with Heather McDaniel-McDevitt. 2. Chris Webster hosts with Paul Zimmerman, and Heather McDaniel-McDevitt appears as a California archaeologist and principal investigator who works with GIS in CRM. 3. The episode asks what GIS is actually for in archaeology: figure production, analysis, or both. 4. Heather says she got a GIS certificate while studying archaeology and then moved into a GIS master's program. 5. She describes a three-year GIS program with a suite of five classes and a thesis expansion into predictive modeling. 6. Heather says the department was trying to attract interdisciplinary graduate students from other fields. 7. She says the job that hired her initially promised 40% GIS and 60% archaeology. 8. Heather explains that as she advanced in her career, the firm took GIS away from her day-to-day duties. 9. She says she still uses ArcGIS for tasks she needs, but she leaves most GIS work to specialists. 10. Heather distinguishes between creating figures and doing GIS analysis, saying analysis is about combining data layers to answer questions. 11. She says CRM job ads often want someone who can make figures such as project location maps and project vicinity maps. 12. She argues that a figure is not analysis, because analysis uses overlapping data to identify patterns and probabilities. 13. Heather says she thinks of GIS as layers, like transparencies stacked on an overhead projector. 14. She says communication with GIS analysts depends on explaining how information should be layered and symbolized. 15. Heather says cartography matters because some maps are visually attractive but do not make sense. 16. She describes a site project where historic aerials, past excavations, and intact deposits were combined into one figure that non-archaeologists could understand. 17. She says the episode is conversational and practical, with Chris Webster and Paul Zimmerman prompting examples from CRM work. 18. Heather's tone is explanatory and method-focused, with repeated emphasis on workflow, communication, and project outcomes. 19. People working in CRM, archaeology, or GIS workflow design would benefit from it. 20. Listeners wanting entertainment or narrative mystery may skip it.

As heard by us

A grounded look at GIS in CRM as workflow, translation, and practical measurement.

This episode keeps its focus squarely on the practical side of GIS in CRM. Its strongest moments come from the workflow talk: drone data, benchmarks, and reprocessing a contour map all underline how much good measurement matters on the ground.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want a grounded look at GIS in CRM, where the episode stays close to workflow, communication, and real project constraints.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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