Don't think an archaeologist's favorite tool these days is a shovel.

Anthropologist Michael Graves is a proponent of what he calls "non-invasive archaeology" — especially when it comes to his project: the heiau of Hawai'i. (Archaeology is a subfield of anthropology.)

"Digging doesn't need to be a very big requirement," he said. "We want to protect these locations."

Today archaeologists can tread lightly on cultural sites, using high-tech equipment such as global positioning system mapping devices, infrared and aerial photos.

For his project, Graves uses maps created with GPS technology and photography.

Kohala is such a culturally sensitive area that Graves, who is highly aware that these are sacred religious sites, prefers to avoid disrupting sites and instead relies on old archival information and oral histories from Hawaiians.

His goal: To have "the least amount of impact on archaeological sites. ... I'm not intending to do any excavations at these sites."

Besides showing respect for the Hawaiian culture and religion, he's serious about privacy issues, too. He has promised to not reveal locations of some heiau that are on private land.

If a land owner or cultural expert requests that a heiau not be disturbed or revealed, Graves has agreed to obscure or not show the correct locations of sites on the maps he will draw.

"Respect is one of my code words here," he said.