A new blog post on where Citizen Records have been made, and where they haven't! Lots of people have asked about being able to see where they should look next, so here's your answer!

https://chilternsbeacons.org/wp/2020/06/08/where-to-look/

And a direct link to the web map showing the count of Citizen Records per OS grid square:

https://arcg.is/0T940y0  

Data correct on 5th May 2020. 

A couple more sessions upcoming.

In addition to tomorrow's (19th June, 10 - 12.30) Mapathon

Another Mapathon scheduled for next week, Friday 26th June, 10 - 12.30. Sign up here

A session teaching you how to download, process, and view Environment Agency LiDAR data, so you can look beyond the Chilterns... Tuesday 30th June, 10 - 11.30. Sign up here.

Hi all,

Another set of workshops for July! Repeats of the Introduction session, the Improving Interpretation session, and the Review Portal training, plus two more Mapathons.

At the Mapathon on 10^th July we will have Sam Johansen joining us, the Community Heritage Officer for the Chalk, Cherries, & Chairs Project, to talk about routeways in the Chilterns, so don’t miss that!

 As always, sign up at the link, and I’ll send out joining details the day before.

A recording of yesterday’s workshop on using Environment Agency LiDAR data should be coming shortly, if you missed it. I'll post it with a short blog post on the session.

Mapathon, 10^th July, 10 – 12.30

https://share.hsforms.com/1qHsb6onLSheziVG5qWdWJw2orgq

Introduction to LiDAR and the Beacons of the Past Citizen Science Portal, 15^th July, 10 - 11

https://share.hsforms.com/19IebAv7-S6WnKocqwh2qog2orgq

Improving LiDAR Interpretation, 21^st July, 10 – 12.30

https://share.hsforms.com/1z_enw7RnSjKOg7YbdyoLlQ2orgq

Mapathon, 24^th July, 10 – 12.30

https://share.hsforms.com/1HXPstgmjRhuniF8wSmwU-g2orgq

Review Portal Training, 28^th July, 10 – 12.30

https://share.hsforms.com/1D7LA51VJSwCCDuVikUz49g2orgq

Another month, another set of training sessions! I'm looking at what we can do to celebrate one year of the portal being up and online, so hopefully some fun things to come this month. 

Mapathon 7^th August, 10 - 12.30

https://share.hsforms.com/1pHq5Pu8iT8OY5sWCZl_07Q2orgq

Mapathon 21^st August, 10 - 12.30

https://share.hsforms.com/1nWWfHLCWS8qfHcxZVJewjQ2orgq

Improving Interpretation 11^th August, 10 - 12

https://share.hsforms.com/1kWO5nm0kRq2YgEJBjdN8kw2orgq

Review Training 25^th August, 10 - 12.30

https://share.hsforms.com/1ARhy1hR9T4KYAlOxy4Ya_Q2orgq

Some very exciting news from Chilforts towers! 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-53741441

A new hillfort! With the help of you, our Citizen Scientists, we are now able to put a new hillfort dot on the map. 

Newsletter and blog post to come later this week.

(Unfortunately we aren't able to reveal its location or many further details at this time - the landowner does not want its location made public, and so our continued opportunity to be able to assess the site is contingent on its location staying out of public knowledge. It is essential that people do not try and find or visit the site, which is on private land with no right of way.) 

Hi all,

After a couple of weeks of holiday, I'm back! Catching up on emails and things, and will have more updates soon, but for now:

A late posting of last month's newsletter attached.

And link to this Friday's Mapathon -  https://share.hsforms.com/1XDEloBX3TYC25oIDId1GvQ2orgq

Hope to see some of you there! Training sessions to resume in October, and plans for a new session on the use of 3D visualisation methods for exploring LiDAR... 

Quick reminder, another Mapathon coming up on this Wednesday, 23rd September

- https://share.hsforms.com/1_cjHj_uFRhSet1PKGV-V-g2orgq  

Forthcoming Beacons of the Past (virtual) events and links for signing up:

Review Portal Refresher Session – Wednesday 14^th October, 10 – 12: https://share.hsforms.com/1UtfiqM5GTGyn6S_DFMyBqA2orgq

Did you train as a Reviewer earlier this year? Want to get more involved again, but feel a little rusty with the controls? Come along to this session and I’ll give you a refresher, and let you know how we’ve changed our approach since the Spring.

Mapathon – Friday 16^th October, 10 – 12.30: https://share.hsforms.com/14FvuXoKzTl2o5vqWQz7mCg2orgq

Come and join the group to see what others are finding, discuss places of interest, ask questions, and enjoy hearing about intriguing and interesting sites in the LiDAR.

Improving Interpretation Training – Tuesday 27^th October, 10 – 12: https://share.hsforms.com/1B4RhNRRqSG-RmdvDQotA5w2orgq

Want to take your ability to read the LiDAR data for archaeology up to the next level? Come along to this workshop.

Review Portal Training – Wednesday 4^th November, 10 – 12: https://share.hsforms.com/1mzNFZtljQYSvQrS42m4Ljg2orgq

Want to train to be a reviewer, to get access to the “Review Portal” and help us craft our Master Database of sites? This is the workshop for you. (I recommend that you attend the “Improving Interpretation” workshop before coming to this.)

Mapathon – Thursday 12^th November, 10 – 12.30: https://share.hsforms.com/1zIFbsljRTGChMhnOkz8cYA2orgq

3D Visualisation of LiDAR Data for Archaeology – Tuesday 24^th November, 10 – 11.30: https://share.hsforms.com/1ANFvpdcMRR-1ljAa2xvj7Q2orgq

I’ll let you know a little bit about using 3D approaches for visualising LiDAR data, and we’ll discuss the pros and cons of 3D visualisations for archaeological LiDAR.

A couple of events for December. Do sign up on the forms, so I can email you the joining link. 

• Mapathon: Friday 11th December, 10 – 12.30
• Christmas Quiz: Wednesday 16th December, 2pm

And then a questionnaire, asking about the New Year - are there any of my regular training courses which you've not made it to, but want to? Or are there any other topics you'd like me to cover?

Training in the New Year – what do you want?

New blog post up! 2020 in Review:

https://chilternsbeacons.org/wp/2020/12/17/2020-in-review/  

With apologies for a slight delay in getting these up, some upcoming events. As always, click the links to register, so that you get sent the joining details by email.

Roman Roads in the Chilterns: hear myself and Nigel Rothwell talk about the work that he has led investigating the Roman roads identifiable (or not) in the Chilterns LiDAR, which has recently been published in the Roman Roads Research Association Newsletter. Blog post on the topic to come soon too. 

23^rd February https://share.hsforms.com/1qUoT6I1HQ-yw9BNyvbVmBw2orgq

Mapathons: come and join the group to discuss what people have been finding in the data. Always great fun with wide-ranging discussions - contribute and gather advice and insight from with the knowledgeable team.

29^th January https://share.hsforms.com/1K_HpOqf6TdWLIcd34GT3Ng2orgq

12^th February https://share.hsforms.com/1bSO5-ln8QouBH_m7GQH0DQ2orgq

24^th February https://share.hsforms.com/1KKzpaaNhRP-asYoR5QJ20Q2orgq

Training - Please do email me (epeveler@chilternsaonb.org) if you want a session on advancing your LiDAR-interpretation skills and in training to become a "Reviewer" for the Citizen Science Project. I'll run workshops as and when I get enough participants.

A short little blog post from Wendy about the Countryfile filming:

https://chilternsbeacons.org/wp/2021/01/26/botp-on-the-small-screen-countryfile-24th-january/  

Online sessions coming up in March.

Two Mapathons - online sessions for discussing the LiDAR and Chilterns archaeology - come and see what others have been up to, or ask any questions you might have.

A Review Portal training session - sign up to learn to become a project "Reviewer" - helping to turn the Citizen Science records into our HER-style upper tier database records.

Click the sign up links in order to register and be sent the joining information.

Mapathon, Friday 5th March, 10 - 12:  https://share.hsforms.com/1-KXuGglmQ0W9-MmlzsuPTg2orgq

Review Portal training, Friday 12th March, 10 - 12:  https://share.hsforms.com/1WZ1sVpQERA6pAtPQQvKHUg2orgq

Mapathon, Friday 19th March, 2-4 (note provisional change of time from usual):  https://share.hsforms.com/1SZlbijyQQWOvI0VprU9QIw2orgq

In addition to the above events, check out the latest blog post, about the evidence for the Roman roads in the Chilterns as seen in the LiDAR data - a precis of some of the things discussed at the talk Nigel Rothwell and I gave last week based on his work.

https://chilternsbeacons.org/wp/2021/03/02/the-road-goes-ever-on/

Hi all,

Just a quick update - as most of you probably know I left my post at the Chilterns Conservation Board back in May to move to a new job. The Beacons of the Past Project then hired Giles Carey, who has come in, picked up a mammoth of a dataset, and in a very short space of time turned the "Priority Sites" data around into a database ready to send off to the four local HERs. There will be a proper update about this process in the near future, but suffice to say that thanks to a huge amount of work from all of you, some brilliant data is now being delivered to each of the county records.

Giles has now left the project having completed that task, and as hinted at in Wendy's last newsletter, I've been brought back in in a freelance capacity to continue doing some work for the project in some of my spare time. This will largely be centred on behind-the-scenes data work, getting some outputs ready for Wendy and the project. However, I will be checking these forums, and hopefully there will be a few opportunities for both digital and in person get-togethers. I am not full time, typically working about 5 hours a week, so these won't be quite at the same intensity as before, but do watch this space!