Environmental factors inhibiting GPS on Tutuila Island, American Samoa: Strategies for GIS data integration where GPS cannot go
Houston T and Suafo`a E. 2001. Environmental factors inhibiting GPS on Tutuila Island, American Samoa: Strategies for GIS data integration where GPS cannot go. In Houston T and Suafo`a E (ed): Society of Hawaiian Archaeology Conference. Maui Community College, Hawaii. October 5-7, 2001. Society of Hawaiian Archaeology. Maui, HI
Archaeological research at the National Park of American Samoa has identified an array of feature types such as star mounds, adze quarries, habitation and grave sites on high mountain ridges. Most of these features are located in deep valleys or along narrow and rough ridgelines, beneath a dense paleo-tropical rainforest. Field archaeologists have sought to use new technology, such as global positioning system (GPS) hardware, and geographic information system (GIS) software to document Samoan archaeological features. The Samoan landscape and environment, however, present special problems for GPS and the integration of field data into a GIS. The high ridges of Samoa, a thick forest canopy, and high humidity are factors that conspire against GPS field use. This paper will discuss how new mapping strategies incorporate new technologies with "older" field methods to overcome these environmental conditions, aiding in the modern documentation of the archaeological record represented within the National Park of American Samoa.