Entropy-Based Methods to Address Sampling Bias in Archaeological Predictive Modeling

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Main Authors: Çadırcı, Mehmet Sıddık, Shahtahmassebi, Golnaz
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Çadırcı, Mehmet Sıddık
Shahtahmassebi, Golnaz
author_facet Çadırcı, Mehmet Sıddık
Shahtahmassebi, Golnaz
contents Predictive modeling in archaeology is essential for the understanding of people's behavior in the past and for guiding heritage conservation. However, spatial sampling bias caused by uneven research effort can severely limit model reliability. This research describes a novel new framework that integrates entropy-based corrections to measure and minimize such biases in archaeological modeling of foresight. Leveraging the open access data of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, we employ Shannon entropy to determine survey coverage and assign appropriate weights to pseudo-absence points. We combine these weights with predictive models such as Bayesian Spatial Logistic Regression (via R-INLA), Generalized Additive Models, Maximum Entropy and Random Forests. Our findings prove that entropy-aware models exhibit improved accuracy and robustness, especially for under-surveyed regions. This approach not only advances methodological transparency, but also improves the interpretation of archaeological prediction under conditions of data uncertainty. The proposed framework offers a scalable, theoretically grounded strategy for addressing spatial bias in archaeological datasets.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_02272
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Entropy-Based Methods to Address Sampling Bias in Archaeological Predictive Modeling
Çadırcı, Mehmet Sıddık
Shahtahmassebi, Golnaz
Applications
Predictive modeling in archaeology is essential for the understanding of people's behavior in the past and for guiding heritage conservation. However, spatial sampling bias caused by uneven research effort can severely limit model reliability. This research describes a novel new framework that integrates entropy-based corrections to measure and minimize such biases in archaeological modeling of foresight. Leveraging the open access data of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, we employ Shannon entropy to determine survey coverage and assign appropriate weights to pseudo-absence points. We combine these weights with predictive models such as Bayesian Spatial Logistic Regression (via R-INLA), Generalized Additive Models, Maximum Entropy and Random Forests. Our findings prove that entropy-aware models exhibit improved accuracy and robustness, especially for under-surveyed regions. This approach not only advances methodological transparency, but also improves the interpretation of archaeological prediction under conditions of data uncertainty. The proposed framework offers a scalable, theoretically grounded strategy for addressing spatial bias in archaeological datasets.
title Entropy-Based Methods to Address Sampling Bias in Archaeological Predictive Modeling
topic Applications
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.02272