WebDig

WebDig is a software tool for post-processing and publishing data produced by archaeologic excavations. The tool is a web-application which presents the excavation finds and areas on a map of the excavation site. It allows the users to preview, edit and categorize the data. It can read the data exported from iDig, which is an iPad-application for recording the finds during the excavation campaign. Many aspects of the software are customizable, enabling its usage by different archaeological campaigns.

The software was initially created for the needs of the "Molyvoti, Thrace, Archaeological Project", which is a Greek-American scientific expedition in Aegean Thrace. The project is a cooperation (synergasia) between the Ephorate of Antiquities of Rhodope and the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, represented by Princeton University. Field work took place during 2013–2015, 2019, and 2022–2023 and the data have been published using the WebDig software.

Screenshots

A screenshot of WebDig with some preview data is displayed below. The top panel includes the selected trench and map name along with the map tools. The left-most panes list all the available item categories and each individual item, allowing the user to browse among the archaeological finds. At the right, there is a plan of the excavation site with the positions of certain items highlighted on the map. A running interactive instance of WebDig can be found at the MTAP website.

Getting Started instructions

The files in the current repository include only the software without any data or users. In order to use the software successfully, please follow the instructions below:

1. Copy all the files to your web server.
2. Visit the web server through a web browser.
3. Login as user 'admin', using password 'admin'.
4. Change the admin password for security reasons by clicking on the admin username at the upper right corner and then settings.
5. Create users by clicking on the admin username at the upper right corner.
6. The file index.html contains an example on how to incorporate create a login form for your web-site app. You can change this to meet your needs.
7. Import data from iDig (batch-import) into the WebDig application:
   • export json files from iDig and retrieve them (can be done through i-tunes).
   • upload the Preferences.json to the web server folder 'Data/'.
   • upload the json data file to the web server folder 'Data/' with the name iDig.json.
   • login as admin.
   • click at the username at the upper right corner and select 'import iDig data'. The software will provide instructions.
   • please, have in mind that an item can be manually created and edited from within the WebDig application.
8. Import photographs from iDig (batch import) into the web application:
   • upload the photographs to the web server folder 'Data/images_for_import/'. They have to be of jpeg format with extension '.jpg'.
   • login as admin.
   • click at the admin username at the upper right corner and select 'import iDig images'. The software will provide instructions.
   • in case the photographs are many, this step may need to be repeated several times, because php scripts expire after 30 sec.
   • please, have in mind that a photograph can be manually uploaded and linked to an item from its information dialog.
9. Import plans from iDig into the web application:
   • upload the plan images to the web server folder 'plans/'
10. Alter the default settings to meet the excavation needs by editing the Preferences.json file at the web server folder 'Data/'.
    • VisibleItemFields: the field names which will be visible to the user at the item-info dialog.
    • EditableItemFields: the field names which the user will be allowed to edit at the item-info dialog.
    • DefaultTrench: the name of the trench which will be displayed when the web application is launched.
    • DefaultPlan: the name of the plan which will be displayed when the web application is launched.
    • Plan_GeoReferencing_field: can be "FormatImageEnvelopeGEO" or "FormatImageEnvelopeXYZ". It is the field of the Plan item on which the geo-referencing is based.
    • ItemsList_SortByFields: a list of field names by which the items list will be sorted.
    • Permissions_html: the html text which is displayed at the Permissions dialog.
    • About_html: the html text to be added to the text which is displayed at the About dialog.
    • Colors: the colors of some map elements and of the different types of items.
11. For security reasons, the RSA key should be changed:
    • issue an RSA key (command ssh-keygen in Linux systems).
    • upload the key to the web server (file name webdig_key_rsa).
    • inside index.html alter the values of PublicExponent_hex and PublicModulus_hex
    • inside WebDigServer.php alter the line '$private_key = openssl_pkey_get_private...'
12. Maintenance
    • The software keeps zipped backup copies of the data (ExcavationData.json) automatically when changes are made. These backup files are located at "Data/backup" folder. Older backup files should be periodically erased to ensure that they do not occupy a lot of space.
    • The file "log.txt", which holds system events, like signing in and altering data can grow large.
    • The following command can provide information about the web-server status: https://my-server-url.com/WebDigServer.php?cmd=info

About

WebDig is written in JavaScript and PHP. WebDig utilizes the following libraries: jQuery library, Pako compression library, Jsbn encryption library, Plotly graphing library, PHPWord MS-Word document generation library, multiselect-dropdown.