The Dig It Check It model

This data article describes how the Dig It Check It (DICI) model operates. The purpose of the DICI model is to assess the effectiveness of a specified subsurface sampling program in the detection of archaeological sites (Way and Tabrett, in press) [1]. Specifically, the aim of the model is to determine the inherent biases of the specified sampling program, i.e. what is the probability that sites of a certain size, density and density-distribution will be, or were, missed by the sampling program. A simulation is run which randomly places sites, the characteristics of which can be varied between runs, in a sampling area with the specified test-pit layout to determine the probability of overlap between the test-pits and sites with the selected characteristics. When overlap does occur, the site is recorded as intersected. The model then calculates the site density at that point and compares it with the test-pit size to determine whether the density is great enough for detection to also occur.