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The Currency of Cost

FACULTY OF ARTS Department of Archaeology. The Currency of Cost. Terry Beaulieu, PhD Candidate 17 May 2014. GIS Cost Surface Analysis and Environmental Bias . Least Cost Path Overview: Raster. Least Cost Path Overview: Raster. Least Cost Path Overview: Raster.

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The Currency of Cost

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  1. FACULTY OF ARTSDepartment of Archaeology The Currency of Cost Terry Beaulieu, PhD Candidate17 May 2014 GIS Cost Surface Analysisand Environmental Bias

  2. Least Cost Path Overview: Raster Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  3. Least Cost Path Overview: Raster Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  4. Least Cost Path Overview: Raster Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  5. Least Cost Path Overview: Raster Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  6. Least Cost Path Overview: Raster Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  7. Least Cost Path: Archaeological Applications • Most applications tend to employ only environmental measures • Slope, elevation, vegetation etc. • Leads to accusations of excessive environmental determinism • Most likely caused by the often unrecognized inherent bias intrinsic to GIS analyses Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  8. Least Cost Path Bias: Economic Efficiency • Least Cost Path Analysis is a measure of economic efficiency • Fits well with free market economics and neoliberal theory • An often unrecognized source of potential bias in Archaeological Least Cost Path Analysis • We are bombarded daily with messages extolling the virtues of maximizing efficiency Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  9. Least Cost Path Bias: Economic Efficiency Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  10. Least Cost Path Bias: Economic Efficiency • The two most common currencies employed by archaeologists conducting Leas Cost Path analysis • Time • e.g. Tobler’s Hiking Function • Energy • e.g. Pandorf et al’s and Santee et al’s Metabolic rate formulas Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  11. Least Cost Path Bias: Terminology • ‘Cost’ and ‘friction’ are negative terms • Evoke ideas that restrict and constrain travel and present barriers to movement • Tends to result in the privileging of environmental variables over more cultural measures • More to movement than simply avoiding physical obstacles Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  12. Least Cost Path Bias: Terminology • Replace ‘Cost Raster’ and ‘Friction Surface’ with ‘Favourability Raster’ or ‘Desirability Surface’ • Move beyond limiting factors and consider variables that promote or enhance movement • e.g. a ‘good’ view Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  13. Study Area Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  14. Study Area Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  15. Modern Example: Rosemary to Gem Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  16. Modern Example: Rosemary to Gem Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  17. Modern Example: Rosemary to Gem Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  18. Modern Example: Rosemary to Gem Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  19. Modern Example: Rosemary to Gem Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  20. Modern Example: Rosemary to Gem Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  21. Prehistoric Example: Trail Junction to Hunting Hill Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  22. Prehistoric Example: Trail Junction to Hunting Hill Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  23. Prehistoric Example: Trail Junction to Hunting Hill Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  24. Prehistoric Example: Trail Junction to Hunting Hill Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  25. Prehistoric Example: Trail Junction to Hunting Hill Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  26. Prehistoric Example: Trail Junction to Hunting Hill Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  27. Conclusion • Least Cost Path is a measure of economic efficiency • Currencies used by archaeologists tend to privilege environmental variables over cultural ones • Raster terminology leads to focus on physical barriers • Result is currencies that privilege environmental measures • Appearance of excessive environmental determinism is caused by these unacknowledged GIS biases • Recognition of GIS biases will allow archaeologists to mitigate the negative affects of those biases • Address the charge of environmental determinism • Create richer, more satisfying archaeological models Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

  28. Thank You Canadian Archaeological Association: Currency of Cost

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