The aims of the dissertation are as follows: • To systemize and summarize the trends in the approaches and methods applied in the recording, processing, and analysis of non-destructive archaeological fieldwork activities including surface surveys, remote sensing, and geophysical surveys by the application of GIS worldwide and in Bulgaria • To present the advance and analyse the state of the Bulgarian archaeological information system “Archaeological Map of Bulgaria” • To provide specific suggestions for the modernization of the archaeological information system “Archaeological Map of Bulgaria” related to its concept transformation in accordance with the possibilities for GIS application for the recording, processing, and analysis of standardized data from surface surveys. In order to achieve its aims, the study has the following objectives: ▫ To examine and summarize the impact of theoretical trends on the methods used in surface surveys worldwide, in Europe and Bulgaria ▫ To summarize the development of the regional approach in surface surveys ▫ To compare the different types of surface surveys and methods applied in territory coverage worldwide, in Europe and Bulgaria; ▫ To outline the role of various factors that influence the discovery of artefacts on the surface; ▫ To examine the main elements, part of the systems of remote sensing and geophysical survey, applicable for archaeological purposes and summarize them for non-specialists in the field ▫ To summarize the different approaches and methods for processing, analysis, and interpretation of data from remote sensing projects around the world and their application in archaeological projects in Bulgaria ▫ To examine and summarize the main elements of geographic information systems and their application for the recording and analysis of data for archaeological purposes worldwide ▫ To review the achievements of the archaeological information system “Archaeological Map of Bulgaria” (AIS AKB) ▫ To examine and summarize the applied metadata standards and data interoperability related to cultural-historic (and in particular archaeological) heritage worldwide; ▫ To systematize the archaeological information systems available in Europe; ▫ GIS AKB version 4.0 – introduction, concept presentation, architecture, standardization used, collection of raw data, and potential of the client’s applications ▫ To prepare a comparative analysis between AIS AKB and GIS AKB ▫ To describe the approaches employed when working with data from AIS AKB, which are necessary for the upcoming migration of data to GIS AKB ▫ To make suggestions for the future development of the uniform national GIS AKB ▫ To prepare an English-Bulgarian terminology dictionary on the dissertation topic based on the specialized English language literature