Photogrammetry and GIS in Human-Occupied Digital Landscapes

Abstract

In the last decade, archaeologists have been using human-occupied interactive digital built environments to investigate human agency, settlement, and behavior. To document this evidence, we provide here one method of conducting drone-based photogrammetry and GIS mapping from within these digital spaces based on well-established methods conducted in physical landscapes. Mapping is an integral part of archaeology in the natural world, but it has largely eluded researchers in these new, populated digital landscapes. We hope that our proposed method helps to resolve this issue. We argue that employing archaeological methods in digital environments provides a successful methodological framework to investigate human agency in digital spaces for anthropological purposes and has the potential for extrapolating data from human-digital landscape interactions and applying them to their natural analogues.

Digital Approaches to Investigating Space and Place in Classical Studies

“…26 At the same time, ABM easily lends itself to the development of computer games and realistic 3D environments 27 as well as to archaeo-gaming strategies, 28 which can allow scholars to explore different remote sensing methods. 29 The potential of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) platforms to model excavation and spatial data in 3D graphics for research and teaching is already being realised in projects such as Virtual Rome and Virtual Pompeii, 30 the 3D model of Babylon 31 and the growing field of virtual heritage at large. 32 There are, however, still many limitations to and problems with the application of digital technology in archaeological research and pedagogy.…”

“That Darned Sandstorm”: A Study of Procedural Generation through Archaeological Storytelling

“…The No Man's Sky Archaeological Survey is perhaps the best example [13] of a project with the aim of applying archaeological methodologies to procedurally generated content in a video game. Reinhard has written about the application of archaeological methods to video games [31], more recently collaborating with Sara Zaia [32] on a paper that demonstrates a proof of concept for utilising photogrammetry and GIS to map landscapes in Fortnite and No Man's Sky. Linde and Robra [21] have also done experimental archaeological recording in Dwarf Fortress.…”