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International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B5. Istanbul 2004 
  
different scale; quality control procedures according to spatial 
data quality evaluation components, are used to validate data. 
Next step of project will be the fulfilment of a multiusers GIS 
which could allow to gain access to a map server, enabling 
retrieval of spatial information and other nature data; this is the 
reason why we chose to organize datasets into a geodatabase 
format, which, at the moment is configurated as a simple 
datasets collection with closely linked attributes. 
As one of the most important things to use spatial data correctly 
is knowing their nature, characters, boundaries in which to use 
them, etc., an access database having quite a simplified scheme 
of metadata has been devised; knowing data about data is a 
necessary condition in order to permit to any operative unit 
working at the archaeological Mission to access to spatial data 
and to use them consciously. 
2.1 Spatial database of the city of Hierapolis 
The spatial database of the ancient city of Hierapolis is mainly 
built in agreement with standards set for largest scale numeric 
cartography, meanwhile showing the evident specificities 
related to the requirements of an archaeological site. For 
example, the data grouping regarding territorial and anthropical 
elements has peculiar reasons within archaeological sites where, 
no doubt, the updating needs are marked by time in a different 
way; this aspect is more emphasized because the generation 
processes of these two data types are completely different on the 
map of Hierapolis. 
The map of Hierapolis was born by an integration of a 1:1000 
scale plan built through a topographical survey and, moreover, 
that land features have been extracted from a traditional map 
(taken over by dated photograms) first rasterized and then 
vectorialized (Spanó, 2002; Astori, Spanó, 2003); these two 
elements provided together are the information which the users 
learns from the first metadata form describing map. 
This form includes a list of data types come together in the map; 
highlighting their lineage heterogeneity (adding to the previous 
data types, users have to know that a small number of ancient 
building plans have been vectorized from traditional surveys, 
and than registration processes based on control points 
constraints led their positional accuraty to tolerance range.) 
Outstanding important to the users is the main information 
about the reference system: every user, (geologists, 
archaeologists and all other researchers) usually need to know if 
map is referenced or not to national cartography reference 
system. 
Figure 1 shows an hardcopy sheet of site map and a mask of 
metadata database: while the first one, as usual, refer 
schematically the definition of local and geographic reference 
system, for planimetric and altimetric data, the second one is 
much more richer, showing to users also details concerning 
claboration process of map. 
Even datasets metadata scheme has been simplified in 
comparison with standards; lineage, positional accuracy, 
temporal accuracy and tematic consistency have been endowed 
upon other parameters. It is a central aspect in such GIS a 
proper updating of these metadata parameters concerning 
buildings, ruins and diggings datasets. 
Afterwards we try to synthesize main topics about cartografic 
items organization, highlighting the geometric object type of 
corresponding to datasets (points, lines, polygons). 
A dataset of lines and one of polygons have been arranged to 
group ancient city elements; the former means to represent and 
communicate the basic planimetric structure of ancient 
buildings whose thematization recalls the generical temporal 
periodization of the city suggested by the founder of the Italian 
Mission (Verzone 1977). (Fig. 2) ; 
On the other hand polygons dataset contains objects which 
coincide with the buildings profiles at earth level (it is the same 
35 
uA 
for the excavated streets); it has the main role to associate 
historical-architectonic and archaeological information in any 
format and photographic documentation of each building to a 
single identification code, and also the function to visualize and 
effectively point out the presence of the ancient structure. 
(Fig. 3) 
The terrain objects are grouped in lines and polygons classes; 
there are the edges and the boundaries of slopes and also of 
excavated areas but great attention has been dedicated to the 
limestone trenches which are a clear sign of the water 
overrunning on the urban area, at first in a regulated way and 
then, as a sign of the city decadence, in a frean uncontrolled 
stream (Pamukkale is the theatre of one of the greatest natural 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Figure 1. Comparison between essential metadata provided in 
sheet legend and deeper information included in map 
description metadata form. In the bottom the enlargement of 
GPS general network and a planimetric accuracy control 
scheme of the referencing of altimetric data to GPS network.