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This
workshop presents a prototype for online classification of
stone projectile points in a neural network. Our initial application
involves specimens drawn from the North American Pacific Northwest
cultural area but the system is extensible. The current database
design is not software specific and was initially done in
Microsoft Access. The autoclassification system consists of
three stages. Stage 1 is the classification system, with software
that allows users to submit images of artifacts or actual
specimens that are digitized by lab staff. This stage generates
projectile point classifications with specimens assigned to
recognized types and is a .NET standalone application. Stage
2 consists of release of a typological descriptive report
to system users, including a full image inventory of submitted
and classified specimens with attached statistical probabilities
of type assignment. Stage 3 is a web-based application hosted
on the ISU Technology Information Center system that serves
as the educational venue for public access and study. Our
workshop presents an overview of our project, detailing the
practical difficulties and successes encountered in automating
stone projectile point classification in a neural network.
Participants will have access to the online applications through
use of laptop computers. The workshop will be hands-on, informal,
and aimed at developing dialogue outlining the archaeological
potential for development of expert systems that are accompanied
by rich, secure reference databases.
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