Locating and Dating Sites Using Lidar Survey in a Mosaic Landscape in Western Belize

Yaeger, Jason; Brown, M. Kathryn; Cap, Bernadette

doi:10.7183/2326-3768.4.3.339

Cited by 26 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…In our survey area consisting primarily of high forest canopy, we were likely to encounter this error as a result of tree fall and rarely due to low-growth vegetation covering cave openings. False positives were few (n = 3) and were the result of steep slope angles or tree fall, but not correlated with vegetation types as reported in other archaeological studies [66,[68][69][70]. Likewise, density of ground returns did not affect the overall detection of karstic features, even when potential sinkhole openings were denoted by a single anomalous return point.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 52%

“…This is the most common error reported by archaeologists when using lidar imagery to detect small low-lying structures (<2 m in height) in areas of dense low vegetation [29,[64][65][66][67]. In other areas of Belize, notably the Belize River Valley, invasive Guinea grass and secondary-growth vegetation has limited the effectiveness of lidar in the identification of minor archaeological features [68]. In our survey area consisting primarily of high forest canopy, we were likely to encounter this error as a result of tree fall and rarely due to low-growth vegetation covering cave openings.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Locating Cave Entrances Using Lidar-Derived Local Relief Modeling

Moyes

Montgomery²

2019

Geosciences

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Lidar (Light detection and ranging) scanning has revolutionized our ability to locate geographic features on the earth’s surface, but there have been few studies that have addressed discovering caves using this technology. Almost all attempts to find caves using lidar imagery have focused on locating sinkholes that lead to underground cave systems. As archaeologists, our work in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve, a heavily forested area in western Belize, focuses on locating potential caves for investigation. Caves are an important part of Maya cultural heritage utilized by the ancient Maya people as ritual spaces. These sites contain large numbers of artifacts, architecture, and human remains, but are being looted at a rapid rate; therefore, our goal is to locate and investigate as many sites as possible during our field seasons. While some caves are entered via sinkholes, most are accessed via vertical cliff faces or are entered by dropping into small shafts. Using lidar-derived data, our goal was to locate and investigate not only sinkholes but other types of cave entrances using point cloud modeling. In this article, we describe our method for locating potential cave openings using local relief models that require only a working knowledge of relief visualization techniques. By using two pedestrian survey techniques, we confirmed a high rate of accuracy in locating cave entrances that varied in both size and morphology. Although 100% pedestrian survey coverage delivered the highest rate accuracy in cave detection, lidar image analyses proved to be expedient for meeting project goals when considering time and resource constraints.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 52%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Locating Cave Entrances Using Lidar-Derived Local Relief Modeling

Moyes

Montgomery²

2019

Geosciences

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“…Within Belizean archaeology, lidar has often created new potential research areas for graduate students. A review of recent journal articles indicates that while the initial lidar articles framing the use of this technology in Mesoamerica came from established scholars (e.g., Chase et al 2010Chase et al , 2012, more recent ones, forming a majority of the studies, are written by junior scholars or by teams of junior and senior scholars (e.g., Brown et al 2016;Cap et al 2018;Chase 2012Chase , 2016aChase , 2016bChase , 2017Chase , 2019Chase and Weishampel 2016;Ebert et al 2016;Golden et al 2016;Montgomery 2016, 2019;Murtha et al 2019;Thompson and Prufer 2015;Yaeger et al, 2016). Instead of creating an entrenched lidar elite in Belize, lidar data has provided research opportunities for graduate students when working on their Ph.D. dissertation research and for scholars working toward promotion in their academic positions.…”

Section: Data Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethics, New Colonialism, and Lidar Data: A Decade of Lidar in Maya Archaeology

Chase¹,

Chase²,

Chase³

2020

Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology

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Introduction Lidar has had a revolutionary effect on archaeology. After a decade of use in Belize, it has transformed our understanding of ancient Maya settlement and has profoundly affected archaeological interpretations of the past. In Mesoamerica, the technology is now recognized as an important tool for identifying and interpreting past settlements. Yet, the introduction of lidar to the research repertoire has also raised a host of ethical issues that must be resolved. The introduction of broad-scale lidar to Maya archaeology over a decade ago has resulted in a paradigm shift in the field (Chase et al. 2012), leading researchers to examine models of ancient complexity reflected in more broadly sampled landscapes (e.g., Canuto et al. 2018; Chase 2017; Chase and Chase 2016a). Lidar constituted a major advance in Mesoamerican settlement studies by demonstrating the extent of ancient occupation, land use, and terraforming, as well as offering clues to settlement boundaries (e.g., D. Chase and A. Chase 2017; Chase et al. 2014a, 2014b). Lidar has permitted a much broader view of sites, landscapes, and land use by revealing new public architecture, extensive settlement, roads, and the remnants of large agricultural systems (e.g., A. Chase et al 2010, 2011; D. Chase et al. 2011; Canuto et al. 2018; Reese-Taylor et al. 2016; Ringle et al. 2017). New analyses and techniques are also permitting more sophisticated research questions to be addressed through the use of lidar, such as those regarding the control of water flow, the design of ancient space, and the identification of inequality (e.g., Chase 2016b, 2017; Chase and Weishampel 2016). And, while lidar ground-truthing has been called for by some researchers (e.g., Ford and Horn 2018), others are realizing that, rather than on-the-ground checks, what is needed is more extensive archaeological excavation to determine the dating and function of identified features (e.g., A. Chase and D. Chase 2017; Inomata et al. 2018, 2020). The ability to undertake large-scale spatial analysis with lidar has increased archaeological foci from site cores to entire regional systems (e.g., Chase et al. 2012, 2014b). As researchers have the tools to examine new questions relative to the use of ancient landscapes (e.g., Chase and Chase 2016b), older paradigms that saw the Maya as simple chiefdoms practicing slash-and-burn agriculture (e.g., Webster 1998) are being put to rest. While lidar has served as a catalyst for reframing research questions in Mesoamerican archaeology, in the Maya area, it has also raised a host of ethical questions that are not fully resolved. Some of these ethical questions may be exclusive to Mesoamerican archaeology, but others are framed by the wider use of broad scale lidar throughout other parts of the world (e.g., Evans et al. 2013; Stott et

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“…Accuracy assessments usually involve comparing Lidar images to existing survey maps and noting concordance, or lack thereof, between features (e.g. Cap, Yaeger, and Brown 2018;Chase et al 2011;Prufer, Thompson, and Kennett 2015;Yaeger, Kathryn Brown, and Cap 2016). Targeted visits to registered features (Canuto et al 2018;Hutson 2015), or systematic survey of selected areas (Ebert, Hoggarth, and Awe 2016;Hare, Masson, and Russell 2014), may be added to map comparisons to enhance assessments.…”

Section: Background: Lidar In the Maya Lowlands And El Pilarmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond the magic wand: methodological developments and results from integrated Lidar survey at the ancient Maya Center El Pilar

Horn

Ford

2019

STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research

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Large-scale Lidar surveys have revitalized interest in regional settlement studies in the Maya Lowlands. Remotely identified features in Lidar imagery must be verified on the ground, with results of ground-truthing studies forming the basis of reliable, comparative databases for understanding ancient Maya land use and modification. The El Pilar Project integrates data generated by established survey methods with Lidar imagery to construct more complete pictures of settlement distribution, landscape modification, and human-environment interactions. This paper describes the results of Lidar-guided survey at El Pilar along with the protocol our project developed to systematize data collection and increase the efficiency of survey. The methods we describe have proven effective for investigating Maya settlement patterns at the site scale and locating features difficult to discern in Lidar imagery.

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Locating and Dating Sites Using Lidar Survey in a Mosaic Landscape in Western Belize

Cited by 26 publications

References 37 publications

Locating Cave Entrances Using Lidar-Derived Local Relief Modeling

Locating Cave Entrances Using Lidar-Derived Local Relief Modeling

Ethics, New Colonialism, and Lidar Data: A Decade of Lidar in Maya Archaeology

Beyond the magic wand: methodological developments and results from integrated Lidar survey at the ancient Maya Center El Pilar

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