Author: Jennifer L. Kolb

Publisher:

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 124

ISBN-13:

The research conducted under this grant was for the development of a Pilot Archaeological Database (PAD) for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). The primary objective was to compile information on archaeological sites and to organize it in a centralized database for use by District 3 staff to comply with federal and state historic preservation legislation. The database would include information on archaeological sites in, or adjacent to, Interstate Highways (IH), United States Highways (USH), State Trunk Highways (STH), and County Trunk Highways (CTH). The study focused on three primary WisDOT District user groups: 1) Real Estate for the sale of excess lands; 2) Maintenance for the issuing of utility permits in highway right-of-way; and 3) Planning for use in the initial scoping of new transportation projects. As of 1998 there was no comprehensive and user friendly electronic information retrieval system for data generated during 40 years of archaeological research along Wisconsin's highways. Developing the database involved: 1) identifying user needs; 2) gathering all relevant data fields; 3) verifying the accuracy of the data; and 4) creating data tables structured to meet the needs of the users. This pilot project created a database for archaeological sites along the IH/USH/STH/CTH highway systems in northeastern Wisconsin.