The potential of airborne lidar for detection of archaeological features under woodland canopies

Devereux, Bernard; Amable, Gabriel S.; Crow, P.; Cliff, Andrew

doi:10.1017/s0003598x00114589

Cited by 186 publications

(122 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

116

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…A successful grant to the Space Archaeology Program of the National Aeronautic and Space Association (NASA) yielded funding for what was seen as being an experimental approach to gaining surface information through the application of LiDAR, an aerial delivery system that uses laser pulses to gain entry through enveloping foliage. As a result of this funding, NCALM was subcontracted to record 200 km The usefulness of LiDAR as an archaeological survey tool was first established in temperate forested landscapes [25][26][27]. LiDAR has been used to identify archaeological remains in forested areas in Europe [28], Canada [29], and the Americas [30], although the ease of this identification varies with the kind of tree cover and the amount of modern disturbance [31][32][33].…”

Section: Caracol Lidar Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The opportunity to undertake such a survey soon arose. The earlier success of LiDAR programs in Europe [25][26][27] and the Americas [29,30] in penetrating forested areas to see surface archaeological remains was replicated in the 2009 Caracol LiDAR survey [19,20,34]. Because of the detail contained in the three-dimensionality of the point clouds that had been generated for Caracol, most archaeological projects working in western Belize (and other parts of the Maya area) became interested in accessing LiDAR data for their own specific research sites.…”

Section: Caracol Lidar Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Ancient Maya Regional Settlement and Inter-Site Analysis: The 2013 West-Central Belize LiDAR Survey

Chase

Awe

et al. 2014

Remote Sensing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

18 different sites within this region. Thus, a large body of archaeological research provides both the temporal and spatial parameters for the varied ancient Maya centers that once occupied this area; importantly, these data can be used to help interpret the collected LiDAR data. The goal of the 2013 LiDAR campaign was to gain information on the distribution of ancient Maya settlement and sites on the landscape and, particularly, to determine how the landscape was used between known centers. The data that were acquired through the 2013 LiDAR campaign have significance for interpreting both the composition and limits of ancient Maya political units. This paper presents the initial results of these new data and suggests a developmental model for ancient Maya polities.

show abstract

Section: Caracol Lidar Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Caracol Lidar Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

Ancient Maya Regional Settlement and Inter-Site Analysis: The 2013 West-Central Belize LiDAR Survey

Chase

Awe

et al. 2014

Remote Sensing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…High-density and high-precision LiDAR point clouds are processed to generate terrain models that are then used to detect and characterise archaeological evidence through the analysis of morphological or topographic anomalies [1][2][3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detecting Neolithic Burial Mounds from LiDAR-Derived Elevation Data Using a Multi-Scale Approach and Machine Learning Techniques

Guyot

Hubert‐Moy

Lorho³

2018

Remote Sensing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Airborne LiDAR technology is widely used in archaeology and over the past decade has emerged as an accurate tool to describe anthropomorphic landforms. Archaeological features are traditionally emphasised on a LiDAR-derived Digital Terrain Model (DTM) using multiple Visualisation Techniques (VTs), and occasionally aided by automated feature detection or classification techniques. Such an approach offers limited results when applied to heterogeneous structures (different sizes, morphologies), which is often the case for archaeological remains that have been altered throughout the ages. This study proposes to overcome these limitations by developing a multi-scale analysis of topographic position combined with supervised machine learning algorithms (Random Forest). Rather than highlighting individual topographic anomalies, the multi-scalar approach allows archaeological features to be examined not only as individual objects, but within their broader spatial context. This innovative and straightforward method provides two levels of results: a composite image of topographic surface structure and a probability map of the presence of archaeological structures. The method was developed to detect and characterise megalithic funeral structures in the region of Carnac, the Bay of Quiberon, and the Gulf of Morbihan (France), which is currently considered for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. As a result, known archaeological sites have successfully been geo-referenced with a greater accuracy than before (even when located under dense vegetation) and a ground-check confirmed the identification of a previously unknown Neolithic burial mound in the commune of Carnac.

show abstract

“…For archaeological heritage is also very important the progressive documentation and qualitative monitoring of condition changes (including various hazard risks) of different archaeological situation or landscapes. Aerial survey and later LIDAR have been for a few decades the most intensively applied RS methods with many published results [1][2][3][4]. Current increasing importance of wider RS techniques in archaeology confirms more about this issue oriented publications [5][6][7][8][9][10][11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison Study to the Use of Geophysical Methods at Archaeological Sites Observed by Various Remote Sensing Techniques in the Czech Republic

Křivánek

2017

Geosciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A combination of geophysical methods could be very a useful and a practical way of verifying the origin and precise localisation of archaeological situations identified by different remote sensing techniques. The results of different methods (and scales) of monitoring these fully non-destructive methods provide distinct data and often complement each other. The presented examples of combinations of these methods/techniques in this study (aerial survey, LIDAR-ALS and surface magnetometer or resistivity survey) could provide information on some specifics and may also be limitations in surveying different archaeological terrains, types of archaeological situations and activities. The archaeological site in this contribution is considered to be a material of this study. In case of Neolithic ditch enclosure near Kolín were compared aerial prospection data, magnetometer survey and aerial photo-documentation of excavated site. In the case of hillforts near Levousy we compared LIDAR data with aerial photography and large-scale magnetometer survey. In the case of the medieval castle Liběhrad we compared LIDAR data with geoelectric resistivity measurement. In case of a burial mound cemetery we combined LIDAR data with magnetometer survey. In the case of the production area near Rynartice we combined LIDAR data with magnetometer and resistivity measurements and result of archaeological excavation. Fortunately for successful combination of geophysical and remote sensing results, their conditions and factors for efficient use in archaeology are not the same. On the other hand, the quality and state of many prehistoric, early medieval, medieval and also modern archaeological sites is rapidly changing over time and both groups of techniques represent important support for their comprehensive and precise documentation and protection.

show abstract

The potential of airborne lidar for detection of archaeological features under woodland canopies

Cited by 186 publications

References 2 publications

Ancient Maya Regional Settlement and Inter-Site Analysis: The 2013 West-Central Belize LiDAR Survey

Ancient Maya Regional Settlement and Inter-Site Analysis: The 2013 West-Central Belize LiDAR Survey

Detecting Neolithic Burial Mounds from LiDAR-Derived Elevation Data Using a Multi-Scale Approach and Machine Learning Techniques

Comparison Study to the Use of Geophysical Methods at Archaeological Sites Observed by Various Remote Sensing Techniques in the Czech Republic

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About