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About ARCfieldLAB

In the past decade, significant innovation has taken place in the use of sensor technologies for remote sensing and geophysics, offering effective, non-invasive solutions in both terrestrial and maritime contexts. Despite this potential, the application and integration of these techniques in Dutch field archaeology remain limited. There is a major opportunity here to foster collaboration among various stakeholders, share knowledge, and develop quality standards. The ARCfieldLAB project was launched to address these needs.

The primary goal of ARCfieldLAB is to provide an overview of innovative methods and sensor technologies that can be used to support archaeological fieldwork, and disseminate this knowledge using a digital platform. Through accessible descriptions of technologies, engaging case studies, and informative resources, the project will demonstrate how different sensors can be applied successfully. This initiative targets the entire archaeological sector: researchers and students at universities and universities of applied science, as well as archaeologists and other specialists working in the field (such as those in commercial archaeology firms or municipal archaeological services).

ARCfieldLAB was launched on September 1, 2022, with support from the European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science (E-RIHS), a European network dedicated to promoting (natural) scientific research and interdisciplinary collaborative projects in heritage research. The ARCfieldLAB project is being conducted by the 4D Research Lab at the University of Amsterdam, with a project team including representatives from the Vrije Universiteit, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, and Leiden University. The Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE), as the coordinator of E-RIHS in the Netherlands, is the project’s sponsor.

A range of public and private partners have contributed to the project as knowledge partners or consortium members: RCE, SIKB, VOiA, CGA, AWN, Periplus Archeomare, ArcheoPro, and GAIA Prospection.