REVEAL
(Reconstruction and Exploratory Visualization: Engineering meets ArchaeoLogy)

REVEALREVEAL is the product of a 4-year US National Science Foundation-funded project
Grant No.0808718 http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0808718
III-CXT-Core Computer Vision Research: Promoting Paradigm Shifts in Archaeology

[ Features | Components | Summary | Download | In the Pipeline | Tech Support ]

REVEAL's Features

  • REVEAL improves the speed and quality of excavation processes
    • By recording the excavation photographically and as geo-located 3D models, thus significantly increasing the value, detail, and accuracy of the recording for in-situ artifacts, cleaned artifacts, soil changes, otherwise undocumented information, large architectural features, and strata;
    • By using dropdown lists REVEAL standardizes classifications for consistent data entry, thus enhancing reliability and readability; and
    • By integrating site and excavation drawings with photos, standard forms, tabular data, and 3D models, thus offering a single piece of software for all the information about an excavation.
  • REVEAL improves and augments daily analysis processes
    • By geo-located plan drawings and top-down photographs which serve as a indices and display options for objects in the database;
    • By providing a detailed and precise history of the excavation through 3D models of the trenches integrated with all the finds;
    • By adding database searching and filtering tools that collect and display photos, artifacts, and notes by excavation square, stratum, excavation date, and various artifact attributes
    • By using a tabular display of the database contents to help quantify the excavation as it unfolds.
  • REVEAL adds post-excavation tools for analysis and export of images and data for publication
    • 3D models of the trenches and the spatial position of the artifacts;
    • Raw data formats that mesh with 3rd party analysis tools;
    • Drawings showing artifact distribution overlays; and
    • Selection sets of photographs

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REVEAL's Components

REVEAL Web:

The REVEAL Web module is an open-source Web 2.0 application that runs on most platforms and browsers (the interface has been designed so that data entry can take place on tablets, as well).  The current version is primarily a data entry platform.  Users enter archeological field data into the database using Web-based grid forms through a series of drop-down menus. Photographs (such as trench views, artifact photos, or satellite imagery) and drawings (such as, site plans) can also uploaded directly into the database through the Web browser forms interface or through an enhanced drag-and-drop feature.  Further, REVEAL Web can be used to initiate the process of automatically generating 3D models from photographs (for further information on the 3D modeling process, see below).

click on the images to enlarge
Sample screen grab from the REVEAL Analyzer portion of the package, showing, in this example, a multiple dataset search and display; © 2012 REVEAL and the Institute for the Visualization of History, Inc.

Sample screen grab from the REVEAL Analyzer portion of the package, showing, in this example, a multiple dataset search and display; © 2012 REVEAL and the Institute for the Visualization of History, Inc.

Plan browser window showing sample data across a trench plan overlaid on a site plan; © 2012 REVEAL and the Institute for the Visualization of History, Inc.

Plan browser window showing sample data across a trench plan overlaid on a site plan; © 2012 REVEAL and the Institute for the Visualization of History, Inc.

Photo browser window showing a list of selected thumbnails and a zoomed image; © 2012 REVEAL and the Institute for the Visualization of History, Inc.

Photo browser window showing a list of selected thumbnails and a zoomed image; © 2012 REVEAL and the Institute for the Visualization of History, Inc.

REVEAL Analyzer

The REVEAL Analyzer module provides the excavator, researcher, or student with integrated multi-format access to the tables, photographs, drawings, and 3D models from a single database.  Exploring and filtering the data in plan view, interactive 3D view, photo view, or tabular view (in linked browser windows) generate automatic queries to extract, format, and display relevent information from the database.  The Analyzer interface allows a user to develop a detailed understanding of the data without requiring expertise in complex database or information display tools.  Analyzer is comprised of several interlinked browser windows, extensive context-sensitive HELP, and high-level indexing options to maximize search and retrieval operations.

  • Top-view photos of all kinds and site, trench, and building plans are displayed as layers in the Plan Browser window.  REVEAL Anaylzer geo-references all the layers and can display position data, such as artifact locations and locus areas as icons and shaded areas in the Plan Browser.  The user can select icons and drill down for detailed tabular information or bring up related photographs, drawings, and 3D models.
  • The Photo Thumbail Browser window allows users to select and filter images by attribute or by manually selecting from groups of thumbnails.  The thumbnails can be opened and examined in detail.  As with other browser windows, the user can access related tablular data, drawings, and 3D models.  Sets of photos can be selected for export to external applications and for publishing.
  • The Data Browser window displays related object information in multiple fields that may be filtered, sorted, or reordered.  The user can link to related plan positions, photos, and 3D models for any selection.  Fields can be added or subtracted from view to customize searching and retrieval. The data can be formatted and exported for use in external applications and publications. 
  • The 3D Model Thumbnail Browser displays thumbnails of available models from the selection set.  As with other browser windows, each thumbnail provides access to related datasets or can be selected for interactive viewing in the 3D Model Browser.
  • The 3D Model Browser displays virtual reality views of artifact models, trench models, and layers each correctly geo-referenced to each other to simulate their positions in trenches.  Icons or fully textured models show the 3D spatial location of artifacts, and 3D volumes show loci.  Anything visible in the window can be interactively measured. REVEAL Anaylzer provides the same level of interactivity for 3D models as with other information, so the user can link to related database tables, photos, and drawings for any feature or object shown in the browser window, and information in the window can be exported for use in other applications.
click on the images to enlarge
A sample data browser window showing a list of selected objects and attributes; © 2012 REVEAL and the Institute for the Visualization of History, Inc.

A sample data browser window showing a list of selected objects and attributes; © 2012 REVEAL and the Institute for the Visualization of History, Inc.

A sample 3D thumbnail browser window showing a list of selected objects that have associated 3D models; © 2012 REVEAL and the Institute for the Visualization of History, Inc.

A sample 3D thumbnail browser window showing a list of selected objects that have associated 3D models; © 2012 REVEAL and the Institute for the Visualization of History, Inc.

A 3D browser window displaying interactive 3D models of icon locations, architecture, and strata; © 2012 REVEAL and the Institute for the Visualization of History, Inc.

A 3D browser window displaying interactive 3D models of icon locations, architecture, and strata; © 2012 REVEAL and the Institute for the Visualization of History, Inc.

REVEAL Sentinal:

REVEAL Sentinal is the photo-to-3D server. Multiple REVEAL Sentinal servers can be installed on either Windows or Linux computers to speed up the generation of 3D models by processing in parallel. This module of REVEAL leverages image-based modeling tools in order to generate 3D models of artifacts, architecture, trenches, and sites using only photographs.  Models can be created in a few minutes as the excavation proceeds; no need for laser scanners, total stations, or even site architects.

Image-based modeling recovers a scenes’ 3D geometry and appearance soley from photographs. With the prevalence and low cost of digital cameras (simple point-and-shoot varieties, or those on tablets and smartphones), image-based 3D modeling has clear advantages over other 3D modeling techniques in terms of equipment availability, affordability, and degree of user expertise needed.

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Summary

In summary, REVEAL provides a new level of timely and comprehensive documentation and exploration of excavation data.  It can visualize relationships among related artifacts found at different times and perform measurements on 3D models of in-situ finds, either during or after excavation.  The user interface reinforces the uniquely flexible data integration, enabling precise contextual examination of data in the field, providing unprecedented analysis detail and support for daily decisions.  Powerful tools for post-excavation analysis and publication are byproducts of the system.  These features are combined with strong search and filtering capabilities, flexible data export to external applications, and an extensible architecture designed for adding new functionality.  By integrating all of an excavation’s datasets into a single interface, REVEAL encourages real-time hypothesis testing as the dig ensues; while also providing advantages for use across multiple sites. 

And, remember, REVEAL is free.
To obtain the free full installation kit, just go to http://sourceforge.net/projects/revealanalyze/  and click on the big green Download button.  But we encourage you to read further before proceeding.

REVEAL is a single all-digital toolkit for acquiring, coordinating, and presenting archaeological data in a way that streamlines the excavation documentation process, supports and enhances understanding of the collected data, and allows for many output formats.  REVEAL leverages three aspects of information technology: computer vision algorithms (which speed up or replace manual imaging tasks); computer automation tools (which speed up data entry tasks); and fully integrated 2D and 3D media resources (which enhance comprehension and dissemination). 

In the field, REVEAL reduces time and effort while raising accuracy of excavation documentation and recording. The software package provides excavation teams with data-entry Web forms optimized to work on laptops and tablets. Related data is grouped into tabs for easy access. Dropdowns provide speed and accuracy for standard fields.

Our goals were to enable real-time hypothesis testing during excavation by improving data acquisition through automation, including: zero-additional-cost geo-located position recording; 3D model generation from photographs only without the need for scanners or total stations; and full integration of all other user data, from laser scans to chemical analyses.  REVEAL has a single common repository for all data about an excavation, integrated multimedia analysis functions (including immediate access to tabular, photo, video, and 3D data), and integrated display of that data on plans or in spatially located 3D models of excavated remains.  This means that from any single data type there is, via context-sensitive menus, direct access to and display of all other related datasets.  REVEAL can also export data and query results in a number of file formats. 

REVEAL is certainly not the only solution possible, but it shows the way to a more efficient, cost-effective, and rewarding future.  When used to its full potential, REVEAL can truly induce a paradigm shift in the way archeaological fieldwork is undertaken. 

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How to Get REVEAL (Download)

To obtain the free full installation kit, just go to http://sourceforge.net/projects/revealanalyze/  and click on the big green Download button.

There are also new FAQs and a Hints and Tips wiki for REVEAL. You will see the link on the text on the sourceforge page.  Be sure to read the FAQs and the associated instruction documentation before installing.

Thus, REVEAL offers a more complete, coordinated, and accurate solution to excavation data gathering, site documentation, and research querying in comparison to current methods that employ hand-written field notebooks or standalone computer databases, conventional hand-drawn 2D plans or CAD files, or reliance on occasional photographs and other non-geolocated or non-linked image sets.  When seen in combination with REVEAL’s ability to automatically build geo-located 3D models, the dramatically new and potentially paradigm-shifting nature of the package becomes clear. 

Imagine being able to see in precise detail what happened at an excavation last year, last week, or even just three hours ago in a fully textured, virtual re-creation and to be able to query all the recovered data.  This is next-generation archaeology, in color, in 3D, and in real-time.

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REVEAL Features in the Pipeline

REVEAL Web

  • Allow user to draw a sketch on the screen and upload it as an image.

REVEAL Analyzer

  • Load and display vector-based plans, especially scaled and aligned vector output from ArcGIS.
  • Display clustered icons as a single larger icon (on plans or in 3D models) or as a "bar chart" where number of objects drives height.
  • Display a group of icons as an irregular polygon.
  • Volumetric rendering.
  • Tools for creating sections through 3D models.
  • Load and display DEM/DTM height maps.
  • Improved alignment interaction (ex: snap to surface)

REVEAL Sentinal

  • Map textures to 3D object polygons

New Modules

  • Semantic grammar-based architecture modeler.
  • Automated fragment re-assembly tools.
  • 3D object editing/trimming tools.
  • Harris Matrix tools.

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REVEAL Tech Support

VIZIN offers several types and levels of technical support for users of REVEAL, as detailed below.

For users who wish to have a physical installation kit (to load onto their own systems), rather than downloading from SourceForge:

  • Receive a DVD for a local install (includes installation kit software for REVEAL Web, Analyze, and Sentinal; the installation checks the local laptop for adequate disk space, memory, operating system version, etc.)
    Price: $5 (includes shipping within the United States, contact us for international postage)
  • Receive a DVD for a local install (includes installation kit software for REVEAL Web, Analyze, and Sentinal; the installation checks the local laptop for adequate disk space, memory, operating system version, etc.) and includes a full set of manuals and installation videos
    Price: $50 (includes shipping within the United States, contact us for international pricing)
  • Full REVEAL installation kit and manual on DVD plus special or custom-designed add-on modules (e.g., architectural semantic grammar or automated pottery reassembly)
    Price: available upon request; please contact us at: info@vizin.org

For users who would prefer we configurea laptop and ship a ready-to-use system to them, we offer two solutions:

  • System 1 - a basic workhorse laptop (e.g., system with an i5 processor, 4GB RAM; 500GB hard drive) with REVEAL Web, Analyze, and Sentinal installed and ready for field use.
    Price: $1150 (plus shipping)
  • System 2 - a premium laptop (e.g., system with an i7 processor, 6GB RAM; 750GB hard drive) with REVEAL Web, Analyze, and Sentinal installed and ready for field use.
    Price: $1400 (plus shipping)
  • Optional Additional Sentinal Server - additional photo-to-3D server to speed up model generation (e.g., system with an i7 processor, 8GB RAM; 100GB hard drive) with REVEAL Sentinal installed and configured to work with System 1 or System 2.
    Price: $1550 (plus shipping)

Premium services

  • Database configuration and installation service

If you have your own laptop, but would like us to test and install the base REVEAL software, first please read the hardware and software requirements detailed in the online installation documentation (the basics are: Windows XP SP 3, Windows Vista 32 bit or 64 bit, Windows 7 32 bit or 64 bit; minimum of 1 gigabyte of memory, 4 gigabytes are recommended for generating large models from photos or if there will be many simultaneous users; a typical REVEAL database and fileserver will need at least 40 gigabytes of free disk space)
Price: $250 (plus shipping)

Custom database configuration and installation

  • Add/remove fields from the standard REVEAL tables - Price: $45/hr
  • Custom database designed for you - Price: $80/hr
  • Data loaded into your custom database from existing Excel tables, Access or MySQL database - Price: $90/hr
  • Full configuration and installation from other sources of data - Price: $95/hr
  • Premium Web support  (Service Level Agreements)

Within a 12hr response time from initial user request -- over the Web only (via chat or email) or on the Web via video-chat software:

  • Ÿ Price for email only: $25/incident
  • Ÿ Price for phone chat: $45/incident
  • Ÿ Price for a video chat (with remote computer access): $60/incident

within a 24hr response time from initial user request -- over the Web only (via chat or email) or on the Web via video-chat software:

  • Ÿ Price for email only: $20/incident
  • Ÿ Price for phone chat: $40/incident
  • Ÿ Price for a video chat (with remote computer access): $50/incident

email support within 2 business days from initial user request (with limited access on weekends)

  • Price: $10/incident
  • On-site tech support (in person at your excavation)

If we have the personnel available (thus, this is not always an option), then we could send someone to your site and assist with any installation or implementation issues that cannot be resolved through any of the Premium Web support methods listed above
Price: available upon request; please contact us at info@vizin.org

  • Digital Site-Seer® 3D or VR Reconstructions (VIZIN-added custom features for REVEAL clients; prices upon request based on individual project specs)
    • a quick-turnaround as-reconstructed site or building visualizations built on top of the REVEAL 3D as-excavated architecture and object models, to help excavation progress, hypothesis testing, and overall site interpreation ; since excavation and documentation are so much more efficient with REVEAL, the data are ready for the addition of VIZIN's expertise; visualizations can be in the form of virtual worlds, animations, or static renderings.
    •  apply a semantic grammar to reconstruct site architecture quickly (also available as a premium add-on module; see above).
    • provide multiple variations of site or building reconstructions to test theories or different interpretations of the evidence; not as quickly as the first solution, but a more detailed set of virtual worlds with linked datasets.
    • generate quatifiable data from visualizations (volume data, material quantity data, etc.)
    • translate REVEAL datasets into publication- or classroom-ready material.

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Reference
Page Created: August 20, 2012
Page Updated: August 20, 2012
URL:
Page Author: The Institute for the Visualization of History