Can the odds of hominin fossil site discoveries be improved through the use of GIS?

Hominin fossil finds have been a source for scientific discoveries and debate for many years. Debates include whether our own species, Homo sapiens, evolved entirely in Africa, or if interaction between early Homo sapiens and other Homo groups existed. While genetic research has provided important contributions to our understanding of human evolution, continued field discoveries are critical to this ever growing body of knowledge, as they provide both the materials to perform the genetic tests, as well as the necessary contextual information needed to understand the hominins' surrounding environment. Unfortunately, fossil discoveries are limited, with fossils found either by chance discovery or focusing efforts on already known fossil areas. What if we could use technology to increase our chances? It would save time and money knowing in advance what areas to focus field research on. The answer is simple, we can. This ability is readily available in the form of geographical information system (GIS) spatial mapping to focus on areas sharing attributes of known fossil locations. Serving as an example, naturally occurring hominin fossil sites found in Northern Africa (Morocco and Algeria) were used to create spatial maps highlighting potential fossil sites to allow one to better predict where to find fossils.