GIS technology is fundamental to this project as it has extended the analytical processes by integrating geographic and alphanumeric data, and provided a forum in which to draw together the diverse data sets.

The need for a highly formalised language, in order to avoid ambiguities and misunderstandings led, in 1995, to the choice of SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) - and later of XML (eXtensible Markup Language) - as the most suitable method for encoding the yearly excavation diaries in hypertext format. The SGML encoding procedure is independent of hardware and software, and therefore guarantees the easy transfer of files to different systems. Furthermore, the use of open exchange format files and the modular structure of the GIS, customised with scripting languages, have maintained the capacity for cross-platform interoperability. The choice of commonly available software - such as AutoCAD® (Autodesk), ArcView® (ESRI) and Access® (Microsoft) - for the processing of both alphanumeric and geographic data has accomplished this task. Additionally, the adoption of an on-line GIS, using MapGuide software, has helped to increase the level of interoperability and has created the paradigm for Internet-based research.

In shorts, the Caere Project has produced numerous instances of computing archaeology:

- Defining a dynamic model capable of understanding complex realities, as the   opposite of a static model of information retrieving and query.
- Creating an integrated information system, containing not only the description of data   as collected, but also their interpretative framework.
- Standardising the archaeological records by applying a formal standard for data   encoding, with the potential to enable large quantities of textual information to be   handled in a structured manner.
- Representing the relationship between empirical and theoretical data, and between   observation and interpretation, using multiple models which reconstruct the content   and the process of scientific knowledge.