MINA | Map Indian Archaeology is a project made during Michigan State University's Institute for Digital Archaeology Method and Practice. MINA is 'proof-of-concept' for a Web-based platform that facilitates deeper insights into Indian archaeology. It is premised on the view that the present state of things influences our knowledge and interpretation of the past. By making this relationship between present and past explicit, we can reframe current understandings and promote new empirical research in Indian archaeology.
MINA is a work-in-progress and Dr Neha Gupta welcomes collaboration from interested scholars
MINA draws attention to the issue of disciplinary silos, and begins to address these concerns in the practice of Indian archaeology. Specifically,
(1) the oversight in development of appropriate digital methods and technologies in archaeology, particularly Web-based visualization;
(2) promotes digital methods and practice in post-colonial societies such as India;
(3) encourages critical digital methods in Indian archaeology;
(4) examines key sources of archaeological information from a post-colonial lens
MINA brings together Web-mapping tools, geovisualization and published archaeology reports. A key source is Indian Archaeology - a Review (IAR) compiled by the Archaeological Survey of India (henceforth, the Survey), the national department for archaeology and heritage management in India. IAR documents archaeological field collection throughout India every twelve months.
The locations (i.e. latitude and longitude) for each investigation were generated using a geocoder. They are accurate to roughly 1 degree or approximately 100 kilometers. As such, the data are best suited for national scale analysis.
The following blog posts describe issues as MINA was being built. Links open in new window
2. Place names, Coordinates and Geocoding