EDM Windows


EDM is a Windows based data collection program for use with electronic theodolites and total stations. The program, written by Harold L. Dibble and Shannon P. McPherron, differs from standard survey programs in that it was specifically designed to help with piece proveniencing artifacts in Paleolithic sites. The program uses a configuration file that the user designs. This file includes the fields and field types that are to be noted with each recorded point. The program accepts data transfers from Topcon, Leica, Wild and Sokkia total stations. Nikon stations were added but need more debugging. In 2021, McPherron added support for newer model Leica stations using the GeoCOM protocol.

We used this program on Windows XP and Windows 7. We also use it on Windows 10; however, there can be some problems with the serial port drivers. Unfortunately, it is not consistent and very much depends on the chipset used to make the Windows computer and the drivers that convert a USB port to a serial port. And, unfortunately, there seems to be little we can do to fix this. We recommend using a direct USB cable instead of a serial to USB converter. In the mean time, McPherron is finishing a new version of the EDM program in Python which is cross-platform compatible and can offer better support for serial communications. You can find it here.

See also our FAQ on the EDM software

If you experience problems, please contact Shannon McPherron. Note that no new development is happening on this program (after the death of Harold Dibble and the move to a Python version), but if you still use this program and are having issues, do contact McPherron. While there will be no (or nearly no) new feature development, some bugs and formatting issues are still easily fixed.

To install the program, first download the zip file listed here. Unzip it, and run the install program. Then replace the edmwin.exe program with the newer version available here as well. If the setup does not work, please let McPherron know.

Update April 25, 2024
In working with someone to get ready for the field, we found a bug wherein if the field Prism is missing from the CFG, the program crashes. This has been fixed in the new exe found here.

Update June 12, 2023
In working with someone to get ready for the field, we found an import bug. If you put Unit in your speedbuttons, then the ID number would skip. This is fixed. Also, if you used DatumX, DatumY, or DatumZ in your CFG, these boxes did not format correctly on the screen, this is fixed.

Update July, 2022
I added a new option under File Export to save the datums, prisms, units and points as CSV files. This should be useful for many, but it is also a great help for moving from EDMWin to EDM Python. The new Python version of the program can import these CSV files to recreate your setup.

Description Filename Size
Installation (with old version of the program) edmwin_setup.zip 23 mb
Version 3.3 of the program (July, 2022) EDMWin.exe 1.3 mb