Published June 22, 2026 | Version v8

Mustatil: An Open-Source AI and GIS Framework for Archaeological Feature Detection in Satellite Imagery

Authors/Creators

Description

Now with ADAF detection and RF-DETR, training and detection.

This update expands Mustatil as a GIS-level AI vision workspace with improved support for geospatial processing, model experimentation, and multi-model remote-sensing workflows. The release focuses on stability and practical usability: the existing AI Pipeline tab remains unchanged, while the surrounding detection and GIS tooling has been extended.

New and improved components include additional support for Faster R-CNN, Mask R-CNN, U-Net and SAM/SAM2-based workflows, optional video detection experiments, improved GIS/console tooling for Rasterio, GDAL/OGR and GMT, and better integration of model-based detection with geospatial export formats such as GeoPackage. These additions are intended to support large-image and satellite-map analysis, archaeological remote sensing, object detection, segmentation, review, and export in one desktop environment.

Mustatil continues to combine annotation, YOLO training, large raster detection, satellite-map workflows, GIS export, and visual AI pipeline building in a single offline desktop application.

This release extends Mustatil as a GIS-level AI vision workspace for remote sensing, archaeological detection, annotation, training, and geospatial AI pipelines. In addition to the existing YOLO workflow, the software now includes experimental support for several additional model families, including Google OWLv2, Grounding DINO, LAE-DINO, Faster R-CNN, Mask R-CNN, U-Net semantic segmentation, and SAM2-assisted segmentation.

The new model integrations expand Mustatil from a YOLO-based detection and training environment into a broader multi-model AI workspace. Faster R-CNN and Mask R-CNN provide alternative region-based object detection workflows, U-Net enables semantic segmentation from project annotations, and SAM2 can be used as a segmentation refinement step from existing detection boxes. These functions can be accessed through dedicated tabs and integrated into the visual AI pipeline using selectable AI model blocks, while existing FormLearner and rule/IF logic blocks remain available.

The update is designed for large-image and geospatial workflows, including satellite-map detection, GeoTIFF-based analysis, project-based training, visual review, and export of results to GIS-compatible formats such as GeoPackage. This makes Mustatil suitable for remote sensing workflows where object detection, segmentation, post-processing, and GIS export need to be combined in one offline desktop application.

This release expands Mustatil with additional AI vision model support beyond YOLO, including Google OWL-ViT / OWLv2, Grounding DINO, and LAE-DINO. These models add open-vocabulary and text-guided detection capabilities, as well as project-based dataset preparation and experimental training workflows. Together, they extend Mustatil as an offline GIS-oriented AI workspace for annotation, detection, model training, and large-image analysis.

 

Mustatil is an integrated GIS-level AI vision workspace for annotation, YOLO training, large-scale detection, satellite-map analysis, and visual pipeline building. It combines dataset creation, model training, geospatial inference, map-based review, and graphical AI pipelines in one desktop application — designed for images and map areas too large for conventional computer-vision tools.

 

Mustatil is an open-source geospatial artificial intelligence platform designed for the detection, annotation, analysis, and mapping of archaeological features in satellite and aerial imagery. The software combines modern computer vision techniques, including YOLO-based object detection, with GIS workflows to support large-scale archaeological survey and landscape analysis.

The platform provides integrated tools for image annotation, AI model training, large-image and satellite-image detection, geospatial visualization, and export to standard GIS formats such as GeoPackage (GPKG). A tile-based processing architecture allows the analysis of very large geospatial datasets while maintaining efficient memory usage and stable performance on standard desktop hardware.

Originally developed to support the identification and mapping of archaeological structures in central Saudi Arabia, including mustatils and burial monuments, Mustatil can be adapted to a wide range of archaeological, environmental, and remote sensing applications. The software enables researchers to combine machine learning, satellite imagery, and geographic information systems within a single reproducible workflow.

By integrating AI-assisted detection with GIS-based validation and mapping, Mustatil aims to facilitate large-scale archaeological prospection, accelerate feature documentation, and support the creation of spatial datasets for scientific research and heritage management. The software was created using AI.

 

Installation:

Download Mustatil 6 from here: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9pn11zk9ql42?hl=en-US&gl=US

 

Download the free Mustatil 5.6 here: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9n6khfgmpdq4?hl=en-US&gl=US

 

Download the Installer from Zenodo or use Pip or Conda.

 

Python Package for every OS:

py -m pip install mustatil

mustatil

Conda

$ conda install mustatil::mustatil

Files

Files (3.8 GB)

Name Size
md5:e4c59a590dcda2037b46b96fee3c1fb8
126.6 kB Download
md5:4cd2bddef49fd510935548c9faacc77d
9.0 kB Download
md5:4ad79214b6d646ced2c329637dec7aac
196.4 MB Download
md5:76c77b8fcd2dce019c8d2e8a3d636550
3.6 GB Download

Additional details

Additional titles

Alternative title
Mustatil 5: An Open-Source Geospatial AI Platform for Object Detection, Annotation, and Large-Scale Satellite Image Analysis
Alternative title
Mustatil 5: A GIS-Level AI Vision Workspace for Annotation, Model Training, Detection, and Geospatial Export
Alternative title
Mustatil: An Offline GIS-Oriented AI Vision Workspace Integrating YOLO, Google OWL-ViT/OWLv2, Grounding DINO, LAE-DINO, and LocateAnything-3B for Large-Image Detection, Annotation, and Model Training