A Critical Examination of Data Processing in Archaeology, with an Evaluation of a New Inverted Data System
Jacques Bordaz, Victoria Bordaz · American Antiquity · 1966
Abstract Even a cursory examination of data-processing methods currently used in archaeology indicates that there is a great need for a low-cost system that allows the investigator to study large masses of data without abandoning the units of archaeological analysis with which he is familiar. The authors recommend the use of a new system, Termatrex, which is a simple semiautomatic system that involves perforated cards and a light source for information retrieval. Termatrex is an inverted data-recording and searching system, with a virtually unlimited memory, which can be used at a desk. At present, Termatrex is the only system that provides true random access, continuous feedback between the investigator and his data, and compatibility with the standard digital computers.