‘Structure’ density, area, and volume as complementary tools to understand Maya Settlement: An analysis of lidar data along the great road between Coba and Yaxuna

Lidar survey of ancient Maya settlement in the Puuc region of Yucatan, Mexico

“…The influx of new data stemming from the lidar revolution has clearly enhanced our ability to address fundamental questions concerning Puuc settlement and urbanism, sometimes confirming past arguments but in others presenting entirely new vistas [ 79 ]. With regard to comparisons elsewhere, although we generally agree with Stanton et al [ 15 ] that the volume and area of platforms “have the potential to be more easily comparable to other datasets based on structure density,” thus avoiding the problem “that one large pyramid ‘counts’ the same as one small ancillary building in a domestic group,” it is clear that multiple, multi-factor lidar classifications will ultimately be necessary, since a small house may indeed outweigh a large non-domestic structure if demography is the question. Our review of the imagery continues and will eventually employ a structure typology developed by Gallareta and May, allowing better estimates of the number of buildings and hence an improved idea of Classic-period demography.…”

“…Puuc ground return density was about 10.6/m 2 , versus 2.4/m 2 for the Guatemalan campaign and about 2 for the 2014 Chichen Itza-Yaxuna dataset (this last is not stated directly; the value given is the number of ground returns divided by the area covered). Stanton et al [ 15 ] do not report pulse statistics for the most recent Coba-Chichen Itza dataset, but because it was collected with the same sensor as our project, their values are presumably comparable. Ground return density at Mayapan [ 10 ] was higher, 11.4/ m 2 , but it was also collected at a much higher pulse density (> 40 pulses/m 2 ) specifically to enhance imagery definition.…”

“…As Fernandez-Diaz et al [ 26 ] states, this occurs when vegetation height is less than the lidar range resolution. Stanton et al [ 15 ] noted a marked improvement in a second lidar dataset collected with the newer Titan MW sensor at the height of the dry season, due in part to its shorter range resolution. Our dataset was collected during the same campaign, and we too have had relatively few problems with lower growth, although this has as much to do with the nature of the ground cover.…”

“…This paper is an initial report on the results of a lidar (airborne light detection and ranging) mission flown over a portion of the Puuc in 2017, the first such sample from the region collected specifically for archaeological purposes and one of the few that have been flown over northern Yucatan [ 11 – 15 ]. These data were collected in support of the Proyecto Arqueológico Regional de Bolonchén (PARB), co-directed by Gallareta Negrón, Ringle, and Dr. George Bey of Millsaps College.…”

Comparison of Filters for Archaeology-Specific Ground Extraction from Airborne LiDAR Point Clouds

“…Archaeologists interpret enhanced visualizations of airborne LiDAR-derived high-resolution digital terrain models (DTMs) with a combination of perception and comprehension, e.g., [3,4]. The results have proven to be very successful in detecting archaeological features and have uncovered numerable new settlements and almost innumerable new archaeological features worldwide, e.g., recently [5][6][7][8][9].…”