The Anomaly Extractor—An Open-Source GIS-Tool for Object-Based Image Analyses of Large-Scale Geomagnetic Data

In this article, we present a newly developed, GIS-integrated, open-source tool for the automatic segmentation, vectorization and statistical analysis of large-scale geomagnetic data (https://github.com/dainst/AnomalyExtractor). We argue that the vectorization of survey results has many benefits in terms of analyses and interpretation. Following the rapid advancements in data generation and processing, the huge datasets created by modern geophysical surveys make attempts of manual vectorization impractical. Based on approaches used in the object-based image analyses of huge satellite- or airborne-generated datasets, the Cultural Heritage Management (CHM) research group of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) has developed a lightweight script, which can be applied to such datasets to allow further analyses and aid interpretation.