Geo-information system «Archaeological sites of Russia»: methodic approaches for its elaboration and the first results obtained

In the article there are grounded the methods used for the creation of the Is (information system) «archaeological sites of Russia» as a unified geo-information system on a nation-wide scale, which brings together information on archaeological-heritage sites throughout the territory of our country. The DB is compiled basing on archaeological field reports preserved in the archives of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The paper discusses the principles underlying the compilation of a general DB for objects of archaeological heritage based on the stage-by-stage input of sites identified at various times throughout the territory of Russia. It starts with sites investigated in recent years, with gradually added sites where research was carried before. This approach makes it possible to encompass the whole corpus of our archaeological heritage on a nation-wide scale, thus providing a general picture of field research relating to specific periods in time. The paper presents the first results of compiling the geo-information system: now it includes over 10 000 fields containing data on archaeological sites investigated in various regions of the Russian Federation in 2011-2012. The data obtained during archaeological field surveys which have recorded the absence of archaeological antiquities in specific locations are also included in DB. The first experience gleaned from the input of data into the IS has shown that the project's proposed plan for integrating data on archaeological sites is realistic and productive