Effective Detection of Sub-Surface Archeological Features From Laser Scanning Point Clouds and Imagery Data

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The archaeological heritage is non-renewable, and any invasive research or other actions leading to the intervention of mechanical or chemical into the ground lead to the destruction of the archaeological site in whole or in part. For this reason, modern archeology is looking for alternative methods of non-destructive and non-invasive methods of new objects identification. The concept of aerial archeology is relation between the presence of the archaeological site in the particular localization, and the phenomena that in the same place can be observed on the terrain surface form airborne platform. One of the most appreciated, moreover, extremely precise, methods of such measurements is airborne laser scanning. In research airborne laser scanning point cloud with a density of 5 points/sq. m was used. Additionally unmanned aerial vehicle imagery data was acquired. Test area is located in central Europe. The preliminary verification of potentially microstructures localization was the creation of digital terrain and surface models. These models gave an information about the differences in elevation, as well as regular shapes and sizes that can be related to the former settlement/sub-surface feature. The paper presents the results of the detection of potentially sub-surface microstructure fields in the forestry area.

Surface Monitoring of an MSW Landfill Based on Linear and Angular Measurements, TLS, and LIDAR UAV

“…Approach 3: When studying the quality of point clouds, attention should also be paid to their detail level related to their resolution [ 36 ]. The assessment of their detail levels was based on a comparative analysis of the profiles created from the measurements.…”

A model of spatial location: New data for the Gor River megalithic landscape (Spain) from LiDAR technology and field survey

“…As it allows us to work on independent layers of the terrain, this type of mapping is especially useful, as leftover elements like the constructions, that were not present in prehistoric times, can be easily omitted in order to facilitate the analysis on the surface features. Moreover, this technology is highly useful for studying areas with dense vegetation, very wide zones, difficult‐to‐access areas or even effective prospection of areas that cannot be physically accessed due to distance or authorizations (Bourgeois, 2013; Ebert et al, 2016; Fryskowska et al, 2017; Myers, 2010; Rodríguez‐del Cueto & Carrero‐Pazos, 2021; Schindling & Gibbes, 2014). Some of these scenarios are particularly interesting, as dense vegetation or difficult‐to‐access areas tend to facilitate the preservation of archaeological structures as they are rarely travelled or anthropomorphically modified (Cerrillo‐Cuenca, 2017; Doneus et al, 2008).…”

Deconstructing landscape pattern: applications of remote sensing to physiognomic landscape mapping

“…Indicators of the cultural ecosystem services provision (Burkhard and Maes 2017) can be obtained from location-based social media content in the form of points (geotags of photographs, uploaded to the social media such as Flickr or VK.com). ALS-based DEMs and DSMs are also very common in archaeological studies (Fryskowska et al 2017;Witharana et al 2018), allowing for the detection of historical remains and the uncovering of the historical value of the physiognomic landscape (Ode et al 2008). The role that ALS data plays in the visualisation and assessment of aesthetic properties of vegetation canopy can hardly be overestimated: one of the first attempts in this direction was made recently by Vauhkonen and Ruotsalainen (2017).…”