The FAIMS (Federated Archaeological Information Management System) mobile platform provides a complete digital fieldwork solution. FAIMS was originally intended for archaeologists collecting data in the field; however, as the software has been designed in a modular and flexible way, researchers from many other disciplines can make use of it in their digital fieldwork.

The FAIMS mobile platform consists of an Android application and a Linux server. Once installed on one or more devices, the Android application is used to collect structured, free text, geospatial, and multimedia data while in the field, even if the user is offline. The application runs a customised module that can be tailored to accommodate any data structure and workflow. Data collected on multiple mobile devices can be seamlessly synchronised using the server. Once fieldwork concludes, data is exported from the server in the required format.

Tutorial participants will have the opportunity to explore the features of the application, including collection of structured and geospatial data. FAIMS mobile software has been under development for the last three years and has been funded by the National eResearch Collaboration Tools and Resources (NeCTAR) program and the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) scheme.

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Jared Berghold (tutorial instructor) is the senior business analyst at Intersect. Jared Berghold has a research and development background and has been a practicing software engineer for over 10 years. Jared has a BE/BA (First Class Honours and University Medal) in computer systems and international studies from the University of Technology, Sydney. Intersect is Australia’s largest full-service e-Research support agency, owned by its members: universities and research institutions. Intersect led the software development of the FAIMS mobile platform.

Contact Details

Email: jared@intersect.org.au

Phone: +61 2 8079 2544

Address: Level 12, 309 Kent St., Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

Note: Potentially one of the FAIMS project members (Dr Shawn Ross, Dr Adela Sobotkova, Dr Penny Crook, or Dr Brian Ballsun-Stanton) may also assist with the running of the tutorial. Contact details can be provided as required.

The target audience is any researcher engaging in fieldwork—in particular, any researcher interested in either moving from paper-based to digital-based fieldwork or exploring new options for digital-based fieldwork. The expected number of participants is 2050.

• WiFi access to the Internet.

• Additional power outlets may be required for charging mobile devices.

This hands-on tutorial will provide a guided tour of system basics aimed at helping researchers assess the utility of the software for their fieldwork. Participants will be guided through installation and operation of a simple field-recording module, including synchronisation and data export. A limited number of devices will be available; attendees are recommended to bring an Android 4.1+ device if they have one.

The tutorial will run as follows:

• Introduction to FAIMS and its capabilities (30 minutes).

• Install FAIMS and download example module(s) (15 minutes).

• Use FAIMS module(s) in a mock scenario (30 minutes).

• Discuss in more detail a variety of FAIMS features in the context of real-life fieldwork (1 hour 15 minutes):

◦ Automatic saving, synchronisation, etc.

◦ Annotation, certainty and info.

◦ Image capture and management in the app.

◦ Viewing and editing data on the server.

◦ Exporting data from the server.

• Feedback and improvement requests (30 minutes).