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ILIUM Notes

(in almost random order)

  1. First, why this page is so bare:

    Lack of time. Anyway, I'm starting to like this minimalist style.

  2. What is ILIUM for:

    ILIUM is a scientific tool (that runs in Android devices) whose aim is to simplify - and hopefully to enhance - the work of archaeologists.

    Of course, you need to have good knowledge of the archaeological discipline, and you need to have practice with the framework of the stratigraphic recording system; but from here onward, ILIUM will greatly simplify your work.

    In short (and in a somewhat reductive way), it substitues to a certain extent the field journal on which the archaeologist records the data.

    Have a look at the User manual for further details.

  3. What archaeological data are:

    An archaeological intervention is made of data, and archaeological data is just like any other type of data:

  4. How ILIUM differs from other software:

    Others programs with this kind of funcionalities usually need installation of dedicated servers and frameworks. ILIUM, on the contrary, it's "self contained": no database installation, no "tuning", no internet connection required.
    Few programs more don't need a server installation/connection, and even have some funcionality that, at the moment (be patient and read the following point!), ILIUM lacks. Anyway those programs, at least those I'm aware of, don't care about data coherence as ILIUM does, and usually they don't allow data exportation in formats suitable for being included in reports.

  5. About the development of ILIUM:

    ILIUM development is slow; at least, it's slower than I'd like. The reason are multiple:

    1. Because it's a personal project.


    2. Although Android has numerous advantages over other infrastructures, writing code for this operating system requires a lot of testing and adjustments (perhaps more than that required for less dynamic systems) due to the differences between the large number of different devices in which it is installed.


    3. Android is continuosly and quickly evolving. While programming ILIUM, a lot of effort is spent to mantain compability with older versions of devices for several reasons:

      • The first one is a conceptual one: a technology that only serves the current tools is a partial waste of resources.


      • The practical points involved in this approach are even more important. Apart from the fact that it is well known that the computational power of current devices is usually higher than what is needed in many areas of work, a newer device is not necessarily more suited for archaeological work.

        Let me make a couple of examples:

        - First of all, an archaeological excavation is usually a dirty, bumpy, hectic and eventful place, hence is often "dangerous" for delicate equipment. It is better to risk seeing an old mobile phone buried (while the correspondent backup of the data has been done the day before) than a last generation phone.

        - Secondly, the "old" phones spent less energy than the current ones. The batteries had less milliamps, and therefore a full charge was achieved with less energy expenditure. It is not only about ecological awareness (although this also counts): mainly this is an important point if you want to achieve autonomy in a field archaeological work, perhaps in an isolated area or in non-optimal conditions. My favorite equipment is a 2012 mobile with a solar charger. I do not use its camera (nor the "images" section of the program) because of its poor quality, but I could even carry out an excavation in a post apocalyptic era.


      • And finally there is also a component of "engineering ambition": the fact that a program can run on an old machine as smoothly and efficiently (or almost) as in a new one constitutes an intellectual satisfaction, even for an "humanist programmer".


    Anyway, the roadmap could be:

© Alessandro Ravotto 2018-