GIS Tools for Urban Archaeology in Vienna. Site Mapping with Different Geometries

Excavations in densely built city centres such as Vienna, Austria, clearly show the critical role of archaeological and historical research before digging starts. Geoinformation systems (GIS) can help process large and complex amounts of data and create accurate forecasts for construction projects. Vienna's urban archaeology has been using point-based GIS mapping of all known archaeological sites for a long time (Wien Kulturgut). However, to visualise the full extent of sites, extensive GIS mapping in the form of polygons is advantageous. The Vienna City Archaeology Department is currently collaborating with the Federal Monuments Office to implement this approach for Vienna. The impressive vector-based GIS mapping and historical landscape reconstructions compiled by Severin Hohensinner, based on several master theses at BOKU University Vienna, were used as the database for this. The city of Vienna plans to transfer the current online service Wien Kulturgut to Masterportal. In this new geoportal, point-based GIS mapping, combined with excavation results in the form of polylines and polygon-based GIS mapping, will serve as a key tool for archaeological research and precise archaeological forecasts for construction projects, heritage management and public access.