Space lidar for archaeology? Reanalyzing GEDI data for detection of ancient Maya buildings

Kokalj, Žiga; Mast, Johannes

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.102811

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…GEDI collects data globally between 51.6 • N and 51.6 • S latitudes, i.e., within temperate and tropical zones (only excluding polar zones). Yet, it is not clear whether such spatial resolution is appropriate for characterizing understory traits or complex canopy structures, as recent research has shown that GEDI data are unsuitable for the identification of archaeological sites in forested environments [123]. On the other hand, the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) instrument onboard ICESat-2 will provide elevation data of the Earth in unprecedented detail, including coastal topography.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disentangling LiDAR Contribution in Modelling Species–Habitat Structure Relationships in Terrestrial Ecosystems Worldwide. A Systematic Review and Future Directions

2021

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Global biodiversity is threatened by unprecedented and increasing anthropogenic pressures, including habitat loss and fragmentation. LiDAR can become a decisive technology by providing accurate information about the linkages between biodiversity and ecosystem structure. Here, we review the current use of LiDAR metrics in ecological studies regarding birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, bryophytes, lichens, and fungi (BLF). We quantify the types of research (ecosystem and LiDAR sources) and describe the LiDAR platforms and data that are currently available. We also categorize and harmonize LiDAR metrics into five LiDAR morphological traits (canopy cover, height and vertical distribution, understory and shrubland, and topographic traits) and quantify their current use and effectiveness across taxonomic groups and ecosystems. The literature review returned 173 papers that met our criteria. Europe and North America held most of the studies, and birds were the most studied group, whereas temperate forest was by far the most represented ecosystem. Globally, canopy height was the most used LiDAR trait, especially in forest ecosystems, whereas canopy cover and terrain topography traits performed better in those ecosystems where they were mapped. Understory structure and shrubland traits together with terrain topography showed high effectiveness for less studied groups such as BLF and invertebrates and in open landscapes. Our results show how LiDAR technology has greatly contributed to habitat mapping, including organisms poorly studied until recently, such as BLF. Finally, we discuss the forthcoming opportunities for biodiversity mapping with different LiDAR platforms in combination with spectral information. We advocate (i) for the integration of spaceborne LiDAR data with the already available airborne (airplane, drones) and terrestrial technology, and (ii) the coupling of it with multispectral/hyperspectral information, which will allow for the exploration and analyses of new species and ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disentangling LiDAR Contribution in Modelling Species–Habitat Structure Relationships in Terrestrial Ecosystems Worldwide. A Systematic Review and Future Directions

2021

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“…As a result of the study, they concluded that there were -26.8 and + 15.2 cm errors between GEDI and hydrological gauges data. Kokalj and Mast (2021) investigated detection of archaeological remains in a forested area with GEDI data. They determined one of the Maya cities in the Yucatan peninsula as the study area.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of vertical accuracy of global DEMs and DEMs produced by GEDI, ICESat-2

Narin

Güllü

2023

Earth Sci Inform

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Digital elevation models (DEM) are an essential data source in many professional disciplines, with the help of gridded height information and values such as slope and aspect produced from that information. In this study, Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) and Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) satellite-altimetry data, and SRTM, ASTER-GDEM, and ALOS World3D data were used as Global DEMs (GDEMs) data in three different areas (U.S.A., New Zealand and Puerto Rico). We used kriging methods for interpolation to create the new rasters. Point-based accuracies were compared with the GDEMs from satellite-altimetry systems and raster-based comparisons were made by deriving DEMs with satellite-altimetry data in three different areas. It was seen that the ICESat-2 data in point-based results had similar accuracy with other GDEMs. DEMs produced by using ICESat-2 and GEDI data together gave relatively better results than using alone. In particular, the correlation was found to be highly correlated with 99%.

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LiDAR Applications in Archaeology: A Systematic Review

Vinci,

Vanzani,

Fontana

et al. 2024

Archaeological Prospection

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In the last two decades, the analysis of data derived from LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology has dramatically changed the investigation and documentation of past cultural landscapes, sometimes revealing monumental architectures and settlement systems totally unknown before. Despite the exponential uptick of case studies, an extensive review of LiDAR applications in archaeology is so far missing. Here, we present a systematic survey of works published in international journals in 2001–2022, with the aim of providing an annotated bibliography on the theme and collect quantitative information about each case study. Data collected allowed to analyse the geographic distribution of LiDAR‐based studies, the specifics of acquisitions, the topography and vegetation cover of each study area, the characteristics of the material culture detected, major goals and integrated techniques. The survey considers 291 studies, of which 167 located in Europe, 104 in the Americas and only 20 between Asia, Middle East, Oceania and Africa. Our analysis shows that the impact of LiDAR in archaeological studies was greater in some areas of Europe and North America, where scholars could rely on the availability of open data provided by the institutions. This is testified by the higher number of both case studies and large‐scale projects investigating these regions. It also emerges that LiDAR potential largely depends on the characteristics of the material culture, the vegetation cover and data resolution. These factors underlie the outstanding results achieved through LiDAR in tropical rainforests compared to those obtained in temperate areas, such as the Mediterranean, where the outcropping archaeological evidence, albeit vast and widespread, is generally less preserved and obscured by the dense vegetation of the Mediterranean maquis. We conclude that the increasing availability of LiDAR data over vast areas could lead to enormous advances in the investigation, monitoring and protection of the cultural heritage.

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Space lidar for archaeology? Reanalyzing GEDI data for detection of ancient Maya buildings

Cited by 6 publications

References 41 publications

Disentangling LiDAR Contribution in Modelling Species–Habitat Structure Relationships in Terrestrial Ecosystems Worldwide. A Systematic Review and Future Directions

Disentangling LiDAR Contribution in Modelling Species–Habitat Structure Relationships in Terrestrial Ecosystems Worldwide. A Systematic Review and Future Directions

A comparison of vertical accuracy of global DEMs and DEMs produced by GEDI, ICESat-2

LiDAR Applications in Archaeology: A Systematic Review

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