This chapter presents laser scanner systems as a new method of automatic data acquisition for use in archaeological research. The operation of the equipment is briefly described and results are presented from its application in two Spanish archaelogical sites: Abrigo de Buendía (Cuenca), Atapuerca (Burgos). Together with these systems, point cloud measuring photogrammetric methods are revised. Photogrammetry has been widely used in heritage documentation and in no way is to be relegated by the new scanning techniques. Instead, Photogrammetry upgrades its methods by applying digital approaches so that it becomes competitive in both, operational costs and results. Nevertheless, Photogrammetry and laser scanner systems should be regarded as complementary rather than competing techniques. To illustrate photogrammetric methods their application to generate the Digital Surface Model of an epigraph is described. The authors’ research group endeavours to combine teaching and research in its different fields of activity. Initial data are acquired in project-based teaching situations and international seminars or other activities. Students thus have the opportunity to become familiar with new methodologies while collecting material for analytical studies.
Three-dimensional ground-penetrating radar (3D-GPR) is one of the highest resolution geophysical methods for exploring the shallow subsurface and it is widely utilized in the diverse fields requiring this kind of information: for example archaeology, civil engineering and environmental studies. Currently, there are several ways to present 3D-GPR results: 2D vertical pictures (radargrams), time-and depth-slices, a mixture of radargram-slice images, GPR reflectivity maps and GPR isosurface images. All of these techniques, however, require the maximum number of details possible. When the recognition surface is not horizontal, the GPR image is distorted due the topographic irregularities. To eliminate these distortions, a classic topographic correction is applied to the GPR data set, particularly in 2D GPR profiles. Generally, this topographic information is obtained by laser levelling, total station, differential Global Positioning System (GPS) or similar equipment. This study uses a new method of topographic correction based on three-dimensional laser scanner (3D-laser scanner) technology that provides ultradense coordinates of the terrain. A strategy for applying this topographic correction to 3D-GPR vertical traces is discussed and evaluated by comparing corrected images with other uncorrected images obtained using the same standard processing flow. The GPR dataset used to test this method is from a monumental structure located in the Celtiberian site of Segeda I (Mara, Spain). The data were acquired using a 400 MHz antenna on 0.25 m spaced profiles. Although the relief of this structure is not overly complex, we demonstrate how the results obtained by applying this topographic correction technique allow a better archaeological interpretation of the internal architecture. The technique is therefore presented as a new archaeological tool to obtain clearer images of buried structures and/or their internal elements.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.