Tag: archaeology

GIS helps archaeologists trace a mother’s journey

“The tasks of paleontologists and classical historians and archaeologists are remarkably similar — to excavate, decipher and bring to life the tantalizing remnants of a time we will never see.”
— Adrienne Mayor

Heatwaves rose up from the dusty, dry, cracked ground. Tiny black flies buzzed around the team’s eyes and faces. The only shade was under a canopy erected across the shallow open trench where half a dozen people gently brushed away the layers. Dirt is time; the deeper one digs, the further back in time one goes.

A layer 23,000 years old is exposed at nearly two feet down, revealing footprints of a female and a toddler. It tells a story of her mile-long journey through the soft clay mud. Roaming nearby was a giant sloth and a herd of mammoths. This discovery forces science to re-adjust the timeline of humans living on the North American continent, pushing it further back into the Pleistocene era at least 10,000 years.

Discoveries like this are the treasures archeologists seek. Archaeologists are scientists — part treasure hunters and part storytellers. They add context to history.

A trench dug into the brown gypsum soil on a lake playa in White Sands National Park reveals more human footprints below the surface. (Photo: National Park Service)

Ground-Penetrating Radar

Advanced technologies are aiding new discoveries of the past. Even though the footprints were buried beneath two feet of dirt, they were discovered without physically seeing them. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) made the discovery possible. GPR has made significant advancements in recent years, along with improvements in other types of remote sensing applications.

The resolution of GPR has improved along with the depths that GPR can detect objects. Computers can process the GPR data into 3D images providing a depth profile of the scanned area. This is how the footprints were detected.

White Sands has the largest collection of fossilized human footprints. (Photo: National Park Service)

In addition to GPR, the researchers used magnetometers that verify disturbances in the sediment, which can also be imaged in 3D, albeit with a much lower resolution.

“The sediment itself has a memory that records the effects of the animal’s weight and momentum in a beautiful way. It gives us a way to understand the biomechanics of extinct fauna that we never had before,” said Thomas Urban, the Cornell University research scientist who led the team making the discovery.

Usually, archeological findings are of bones and artifacts. Fossilized “ghost” footprints of humans and other creatures brings them to life, providing glimpses of the living past.

Under ideal conditions, GPR can reach depths of 30 meters (98 feet). The accuracy and range of GPR depend on sediment type, moisture content and other geologic morphologies. Underlying GPR technology and magnetometry are robust geospatial information systems (GIS) that preserve a digital record of the discovery, allowing for further geospatial analyses. Advances in machine learning will improve future detection.

Elsewhere in the Americas, a project has been ongoing in Mexico since the 1990s using GPR to map the cenotes and underground aquifers used by the Mayans. A 215-mile-long underground water cave system — the longest in the world — has been mapped in the Yucatan peninsula. Divers exploring these cenotes found remains of Ice Age animals, including a sabertooth tigers and mammoths.

Map: William Tewelow

Lidar and ALS

Lidar (light detection and ranging) is making even more discoveries possible with the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning. For instance, in the jungles of Guatemala, lidar revealed the unknown ancient Mayan city of Tikal.

Lidar is an active sensor that measures ground height. Using an airborne laser scanning (ALS) system mounted to a plane, helicopter or UAV, the lidar device’s laser beams scan the landscape. The system calculates the time it takes for the beam to reach an object on the ground and bounce back.

The result generates one point for each ground object the laser touches, calculating the distance the beam traveled. Billions of points are collected during a scan. Geospatial archeologists then process the collected points into a point cloud (Figure 1). Selecting only points classified as ground and water, the points are converted to a raster image, and archeologists are provided a perspective of the bare earth under tree canopy and vegetation (Figure 2).

In this way, lidar serves as a non-destructive way to identify earthwork formations, even in dense jungle.

Figure 1. GIS software consolidates billions of lidar points. (Image: Stephanie Clark)

Figure 2. Lidar points are converted to a raster providing a bare-earth representation of the landscape. (Image: Stephanie Clark)

Figure 3. Pixel-derived object-based classification, developed using machine learning, identifies unmarked headstones from UAV-collected imagery. (Image: Stephanie Clark)

Object-Based Imagery Analysis

The challenge with lidar and imagery is the sheer volume of data, beyond the scope of what a human can manually review. Because of how faint archaeological features can be, the search often requires manipulating imagery datasets by combining multispectral bands, and then merging them with topographical data. To assist this huge endeavor, artificial intelligence is applied to pixel-based classification and object-based imagery analysis (OBIA) to highlight areas of interest for further study.

Dylan Davis, a Ph.D. candidate at Pennsylvania State University, spearheaded the use of OBIA for finding earthworks such as circular mounds, stone walls,and roadways in Beaufort, South Carolina. He took advantage of high-resolution NOAA imagery taken of the coast before the hurricane season of 2008. Using artificial intelligence for object-based imagery analysis, 160 previously undetected mound features were found.

Raster comparison: Sea Pines Shell Ring, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Credit: Dylan S. Davis, Matthew C. Sanger & Carl P. Lipo (2018): “Automated mound detection using lidar and object-based image analysis in Beaufort County, South Carolina,” Southeastern Archaeology [https://doi.org/10.1080/0734578X.2018.1482186]
On the local level, archeologists apply the same approach to finding headstones in unmarked cemeteries. A pixel-defined object-based classification system helped one researcher automatically identify potential headstones in a densely vegetated cemetery.

The technology used for OBIA is also used for visual-inertial odometry (VIO). NASA is experimenting with VIO techniques to help astronauts navigate the lunar surface (see NASA’s Artemis program will need lunar spatial reference system). For Artemis, VIO will use the Moon’s craters as a reference system to derive an accurate position.

Virtual 3D Worlds

Perhaps one of the most significant uses of technology for archaeological research and exploration is the use of virtual 3D immersive worlds. Exploring ancient worlds as they might have looked gives archaeologists additional insights and the public a chance to experience their discoveries, connecting us with history.

The mile-long journey of a young female carrying a toddler across an Ice Age landscape 23,000 years ago seems so distant, yet so familiar to any parent. The image breathes life into our common ancestry. Through the power of GIS and modern technologies, she walked right into the 21st century.

“The man who knows and dwells in history adds a new dimension to his existence…He lives in all time; the ages are his, all live alike to him.”
— William Flinders Petrie

Special thanks to Stephanie Clark, a geospatial archeologist with Integrated Environmental Solutions, LLC, of Phenix City, Alabama. Stephanie provided technical advice and collaboration, and the lidar studies for Figures 1, 2 and 3.

William Tewelow is a senior aeronautical information specialist for the Federal Aviation Administration. He is a 2016 graduate of the FAA’s management fellowship Program for Emerging Leaders and a mentor with the FAA’s National Mentor Program. He served on special assignment to the U.S. Department of Transportation and led a national strategic geospatial initiative under the authority of the White House Open Data Partnership.

Tewelow is a designated Geographic Information Systems Professionals (GISP), with degrees in geographic information technology and Intelligence Studies. he is currently earning his master’s degree in organizational leadership with a focus on performance management.

Tewelow retired from the U.S. Navy after serving 23 years as a geospatial and imagery intelligence specialist, a naval aviator, a meteorologist and a tactical oceanographer earning three achievement medals. He was among the first in the nation to earn a Geospatial Specialist Certification from the U.S. Department of Labor while working at NASA Stennis Space Center. He is married, enjoys traveling, connecting people, and solving problems, and is interested in new technology. His favorite quote is, “A man’s mind changed by a new idea can never go back to its original dimension.” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

November 24, 2021
Mapping Marvel: Lost cities found

Photo: Mlenny/iStock/Getty Images Plus

GPS and airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) have revolutionized archaeology. In just a little more than a decade, dozens of previously hidden cities and settlements have been discovered under heavy tree canopy and in other terrain. Many of the sites are in difficult-to-access areas, such as high atop mountains, in vast deserts, or enclosed in thick, nearly impenetrable foliage. Many were only the stuff of legend.

Others are right under our feet. In 2018, early settlements were uncovered in New England, including now-abandoned walls, roads and building foundations.

With the development of lidar, archaeologists gained perhaps their most powerful tool since carbon dating. Lidar began as a million-dollar classified technology. Now lidar units are small enough to attach to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Lidar devices send more than 100,000 laser pulses to the ground every second and use their return times to calculate precise elevation data that allow researchers to build three-dimensional maps of a landscape, while GPS receivers provide its coordinates. Lidar fly-overs have revealed ancient cities, temples, causeways, irrigation systems and other structures, which are then ground-truthed by excavation teams.

“Lidar has completely changed the way we survey ancient Maya cities and what we can know about them, and it is a thousand times better than [what we used] before,” Francisco Estrada-Belli told GPS World. Estrada-Belli is a research professor at Tulane University’s Middle American Research Institute.

The application of lidar to archaeology began in 2009, when NASA sponsored a remote-sensing project that showed lidar’s usefulness below the forest canopy. The project revealed the surprisingly vast scope of Caracol, the largest Mayan archaeological site in Belize. Urban Caracol maintained a population of more than 100,000 people with an immense agricultural field system and elaborate city planning.

Since then, lidar has been used the world over to uncover buried secrets from early Roman fortifications in Italy to landscape changes from World War I. Just this August, lidar unearthed sobering evidence of a massacre by Nazi Germany in Poland during World War II.

Image: F. Estada-Belli/Pacunam Lidar InitiativePhoto:

A landmark project in Guatemala illustrates the benefits of lidar. The ancient city of Tikal was one of the best-mapped regions of the Mayan world, but the Pacunam Lidar Initiative quintupled the amount of mapping done in 50 years in a single summer, with 61,000 structures found in an 810-square-mile area invisible to the naked eye because of overgrown vegetation. What experts had mistaken for unusable swampland, for instance, had actually been farmland, crisscrossed with canals. The area may have been home to a population of up to 10 million people. Results were published in Science in 2018.

October 1, 2021
NV5 Geospatial acquires Geodynamics to expand marine survey offerings

Multi-beam bathymetry and topo/bathy beach profiles of the Cape Fear River Inlet (USACE Wilmington). (Image: NV5 Geospatial)

Following its March 29 acquisition of Geodynamics LLC, NV5 Geospatial has built a comprehensive suite of solutions for geospatial surveys of deep-water and near-shore environments. Geodynamics will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of NV5 Global as part of the NV5 Geospatial group.

The acquisition brought together complementary, advanced technologies — Geodynamics’ full ocean-depth sonar-based hydrographic and geophysical surveying with NV5 Geospatial’s topographic and bathymetric capabilities. Together, the technologies deliver detailed insights for a variety of applications, including coastal management, flood monitoring, ecosystem protection, research and more.

“This acquisition was a natural evolution toward our common goal of delivering valuable geospatial insights to our clients,” said Kurt Allen, vice president, Federal Vertical for NV5 Geospatial, powered by Quantum Spatial. “Our decades’ of combined experience and expertise using the most sophisticated technology for data acquisition and analysis will enable us to meet the most demanding client requirements.”

Geodynamics is a pioneer in collecting and processing single-beam, multi-beam, sidescan, geophysical and acoustic backscatter hydrographic data in some of the most challenging coastal environments, including dynamic tidal inlets, high-energy surf zones, and rapidly changing shoal systems that challenge navigation.

Geodynamics has completed large-scale hydrographic survey projects in the coastal and adjacent ocean areas of the entire United States, including detailed hydrographic surveys to support federal nautical chart updates in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes region for the Office of Coast Survey of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

With a research focus on coastal geology, Geodynamics’ offshore geophysical surveys have supported mapping of marine minerals, benthic habitat and identification of potential submerged archaeological resources.

The relationship between the companies began with a joint venture in 2019. Working collaboratively as MarineGeoSpatial LLC, the partnership provided aerial- and ship-based remote sensing for offshore/marine survey and data collection, mapping and data analysis, and marine enterprise GIS services.

“We are excited to embark on this new chapter with NV5,” said Geodynamics CEO Sloan Freeman, PLS. “It is the perfect strategic alignment of aerial, subsea survey and geospatial services. Together, we have the technology, tools and experience to provide the best solutions to our clients and continue to advance scientific knowledge about coastal environments.”

May 18, 2021
Topcon partnership with CyArk bolsters cultural site archiving efforts

Screenshot: CyArk

Topcon Positioning Group is partnering with CyArk, a non-profit organization committed to the conservation of cultural heritage sites around the globe.

Using 3D digital documentation technology, CyArk works to ensure that culturally significant sites can be thoroughly and accurately documented for the benefit of current and future generations. Many of the technologies needed for doing so come from the geospatial world, making the Topcon partnership a welcome one, according to John Ristevski, CEO of CyArk.

“We have supported the documentation of over 200 sites around the world from the Mosque City of Bagerhat in Bangladesh to the iconic statues on Easter Island, but the need for high precision documentation continues to grow and there are many exciting projects yet to come,” he said. “High-precision measurement and documentation of these culturally significant sites is critical for decision making, so we are thrilled to be partnering with Topcon, an industry leader in that area and more.”

The commitment from Topcon includes GNSS receivers, robotic total stations, field controllers, MAGNET software and a subscription to Topnet Live, the company’s real-time GNSS reference network. According to Ulrich Hermanski, executive vice president of Geopositioning for Topcon Positioning Group, having worked alongside CyArk in the past, it was a pleasure to continue to support the organization in this way.

”Our relationship with CyArk dates back to 2015 when we helped them digitally document the Sogi Power Plant, one of Japan’s national industrial historic sites,” Hermanski said. “We quickly recognized and admired the crucial role they are playing in ensuring cultural landmarks of all types are preserved in a digital format. Our expertise — providing precision measurement solutions — blends perfectly with their needs, now and as they move forward.

“One of the first projects on which they plan to use the new solutions is mapping the redwood grove in Big Basin Redwood State Park, in California, an area that suffered severe damage in the recent wildfires,” Hermanski said. “We are pleased to help with this important effort.”

CyArk’s mission, to record, archive and share the world’s most significant cultural heritage sites, stems from a desire to not only save these places digitally but provide critical information to aid in the physical conservation and restoration of the sites today.

“In recent years alone, we’ve seen instances in which culturally-invaluable sites were damaged or lost to arson, terrorism or the effects of climate change,” said Ristevski. “To know that the accurate digital documentation efforts can play a role in rebuilding or reconstruction is a humbling opportunity. We are grateful to have Topcon partnering with us in our efforts.”

March 2, 2021
SPH Engineering provides drone-integrated metal detection

Screenshot: UgSC

SPH Engineering has launched a drone-integrated metal detection system with a Geonics EM61Lite metal detector, a new product of UgCS Industrial Solutions. The same performance and robustness available for users of the standard EM61-MK2 time domain metal detector are now available for airborne use.

The new system is capable of detecting metallic (magnetic and non-magnetic) items in the first few meters under the surface, finding metallic objects in hard-to-reach or dangerous areas.

Applications include unexploded ordnance (UXO) search, detection of underground infrastructure and archaeology. The integrated system has been extensively tested at SPH Engineering’s test range, and has shown excellent performance and repeatability for targets such as pipes (steel, stainless steel, reinforced concrete) and steel drums.

The system uses an airborne (less heavy) modification of the Geonics EM61-MK2 ground metal detector. The EM61 Lite airborne variant integrates with the UgCS SkyHub onboard computer and ground control station.

Features include automatic data logging in geotagged form and automatic terrain following with radar altimeter. The use of UgCS SkyHub enables the drone to fly in true terrain following (TTF) mode with the help of the radar altimeter and to log geotagged sensor data.

An optional RTK/PPK GNSS receiver on the drone will geotag the data with centimeter-level precision.

January 11, 2021
Exploring Shetland’s uninhabited Kame of Isbister with GNSS and UAV

The mysterious and fascinating Kame of Isbister is situated in Shetland’s north mainland near the North Roe. The location has been studied several times, including by the Extreme Archaeology TV series in 2003. The uninhabited grassland continues to attract explorers because of a series of secret structures.

Those structures are hidden on the sea-faced slope and can’t be seen from the land nearby. One theory posits that it’s an eremitical monastery settlement. The late Pictish/early Medieval site is hard to access — and that’s where drones coupled with GNSS receivers helped explorers.

In 2019, Shetland Flyer Aerial Media in collaboration with Shetland College UHI and the Institute for Northern Studies explored the site. Their goals: create a 3D model of the headland as well as an orthomosaic and digital terrain model to identify and map the monastery structures.

Because the site is hard to access, the team decided to use the DJI Phantom 4 RTK SUA (drone and base) with two flights. One flight captured both the Kame and a piece of the mainland for context, with a ground sample distance (GSD) of 2.4 centimeters/pixel (cm/px). The second flight was on a shorter GSD of 1.9 cm/px to capture detailed pictures of the cape and structures.

Before the survey, the team used the Emlid Reach RS+ real-time kinematic (RTK) receiver to identify and establish the base mark for the drone on the mainland nearby.

Photo: Emlid

The Reach RS+ collects ground control points. (Photo: Emlid)

Ground control point locations. (Image: Emlid)

The base mark was then post-processed using data from the OS Net reference station in Lerwick. Considering the long baseline (52 kilometers), it took the team four hours to observe the mark with Reach RS+. Later, when the archaeologists managed to climb the headland, the RTK receiver collected several noticeable control points.

Creating the 3D model. During both flights, the drone’s base was sending corrections in RTK mode. In post-processing, horizontal accuracy of the processed map initially was within 10 cm with vertical at 15 cm. After adding the control points gathered with the RTK receiver, the error was reduced to 6.5 cm, significantly increasing the accuracy of the model.

The team performed the GIS processing in QGIS 3.4 LTR.

Screenshot: Emlid

Despite the long grass, they managed to distinguish each structure out of the orthomosaic using the 32-bit floating point raster digital elevation model (DEM). The team created a basic map with structures and contours, a hillshade version and a heat map.

With proper preparation and setup, a GNSS RTK receiver with a drone can gather enough high-accuracy data to create accurate models and maps of an archaeological site — even if it’s hard to reach.

Shoreline contours and structures. (Image: Emlid)

Shoreline contours and structures with hillshade. (Image: Emlid)

3D model: The heatmap of the Kame of Isbister shows elevations and the archaeological site. (Image: Emlid)

March 24, 2020
Drone aids archaeology in Scotland

The National Trust for Scotland commissioned Glasgow-based GeoGeo to carry out a drone survey of the inner Hebridean islands of Canna and Sanday in November 2018. Using an ultra-high-definition camera, the GeoGeo team not only pinned down the exact locations of archaeological features, but also revealed new archaeological sites.

Over five days,the drone navigated 400 kilometers to capture 4,000 images at a 3-centimeter resolution. After processing, the images created a minutely detailed 3D map capable of being used in a 3D printer to create scale models of the islands. With more than 420 million data points, it is currently the world’s largest complete island dataset captured by drone, claims GeoGeo founder Paul Georgie.

Screenshot: GeoCue

“We were blown away by the results and the possibilities of this technology,” said Derek Alexander, head of Archaeology at the Trust. “We’ve previously recorded archaeology on Canna and Sanday which proves that there were inhabitants as far back as the Neolithic, but this survey gives us information and detail we just haven’t had until now. We’ve been able to obtain exact plots of known sites, but also recorded the extensive traces of cultivation, such as rig and furrow field systems that range in age from the Bronze Age onwards.”

Screenshot: GeoCue

The cameras and software also will be able to help with seabird counts and habitat and coastal erosion monitoring, which are currently expensive and labor intensive, Alexander said. The trust will use the maps to update archaeological records and prepare for future groundwork and excavations.

April 22, 2019
Can you dig it? Space archeology, virtual reality and GIS

By Troy Lambert, contributing author

In Northern Idaho, not only is the Silver Valley near Kellogg one of the richest silver mining areas ever, but it is also the focus of an extensive EPA Superfund cleanup. There are more than 600 mine and prospecting sites in Shoshone County alone. So how do we sort through them and figure out where buildings were, and what sites were actually developed?

Photo Credit: United States Forest Service, 1968

Using aerial photography and GIS technology, historians, archaeologists and environmental scientists are able to look into the past and determine what actually occurred at individual sites. The United States Forest Service (USFS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) took aerial photographs of the entire area in 1937, 1948, 1965 and 1974. Other years, they partially photographed the area. Since then, aerial flyovers have been replaced by satellite imagery. All of this data tells environmental scientists where to look for waste materials.

It also tells archeologists where to look for old structures and other manmade features. Because before a mine site can be cleaned up, it’s history must be documented. Between historic imagery and modern satellite coverage, this task is made simpler.

Archaeologists all over the world are applying these same techniques, so it comes as no surprise that the 2016 TED Prize, awarded annually, went to space archaeologist Dr. Sarah Parcak of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, whose wish is to: “…discover the millions of unknown archaeological sites across the globe. By creating a 21st-century army of global explorers, we’ll find and protect the world’s hidden heritage, which contains humankind’s collective resilience and creativity,” she told the Alabama News Center.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

Parcak first earned international attention by satellite mapping Egypt using infrared imagery, discovering “17 potential unknown pyramids, 1,000 tombs and 3,100 settlements.” At the heart of her program is an online, citizen scientist, interactive platform that will allow anyone to discover ancient sites from space. The same information and imagery gathered over time will allow her and her teams to monitor looting.

The program works simply: Once users take a quick tutorial, they are “dealt” a series of images from a deck with a general location like Northern Italy. The images are of a 50-meter-square area, and have already been processed to simplify the explorer’s search. The exact GPS location is encrypted similar to the way patient data privacy is preserved in Electronic Medical Records (EMR) to protect the exact location from potential looters and unethical archeological expeditions.

All potential discoveries, once vetted, will be passed along to authorities along with the GIS data, so they can then excavate or protect the sites. This enables archaeologists not only to detect sites, but to find and stop looters in a matter of days or weeks rather than months or years.

GIS can play a huge role in these and other archeological projects, and with the integration of virtual reality, the possibilities are even more exciting.

Georeferencing Maps and Historical Photos

While this is not possible with all sites, historical photos of some areas give archaeologists clues of where to start looking for more recent structures and human activity. Georeferencing ancient maps and photos or drawings where possible show what features have changed, what has remained the same, and what impact modern human activity has had on the site.

Photo Credit: YouTube

“Rebuilding” Structures

Once foundations and other evidence of structures have been found, 3D modeling software such as Esri CityEngine can be used in conjunction with photos to virtually reconstruct buildings, terrain and other features. This gives archeologists and scholars insight to how each site might have been used, and what other evidence to look for.

Virtual Reality

As 360-degree cameras have become more affordable and portable (with the release of several new models like the Nikon KeyMission 360), filming sites once they have been visited in this comprehensive way will allow archaeologists who are unable to physically reach the location to “look” for evidence, and offer advice and insight to those on location.

Explorers in Parcak’s programs who make new discoveries will be able to accompany archaeologists via Periscope, Skype, Google Hangouts and social media, all of which are headed toward 3D video capability, allowing for more immersive and meaningful visits.

Infrared photos from space allow us to see things on the ground not previously visible. Three dimensional modeling allows us to visualize structures no longer there, and 360-degree video and virtual reality allow us to visit these places from far away.

The way we discover new things about our world and the way we explore them is changing, and much of that change is possible due to the blend of GIS and virtual reality.

Troy Lambert is a freelance writer, editor and thriller author living in Boise Idaho. He became interested in using GIS for unique applications while at a museum, and now looks for and writes about unique ways GIS is used and can be used to change our world.

April 28, 2016
Survey lasers in on Iron-Age archaeology

High-tech aerial laser surveying is being employed to reveal the hidden archaeology of an Iron-Age hill settlement in Lancashire, England.

Visually, the archaeological features are difficult to see, but a Bluesky laser survey, commissioned by the Morecambe Bay Partnership, is expected to reveal previously undiscovered details of a settlement at Warton Crag. Identified as an important Heritage at Risk site, the site has already been subject to low-level archaeological investigations, which have identified remains from a small, well defended hill fort.

“It is imperative that we get a better definition of the archaeological remains that are currently ‘hidden’ by the dense vegetation cover,” said Louise Martin, H2H cultural heritage officer at the Morecambe Bay Partnership. “This will enable us to develop conservation strategies for the site and work towards reducing the risk to the archaeological remains. The site is currently on Historic England’s ‘at risk’ register, so this work is crucial in developing partnerships and strategies to protect the monument for future generations.”

The Bluesky lidar system uses lasers to accurately measure the earth’s terrain and record features on the ground in 3D. A dedicated survey plane is equipped with aerial photography equipment and will fly over the site during the winter months when the tree and canopy cover is at its minimum.

Bluesky will process the millions of individual laser measurements to create detailed 3D computer models of the Earth’s relief — a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) — and ground surface including buildings and vegetation — a Digital Surface Model (DSM). This will allow the Morecambe Bay Partnership to model scenarios and strategies and share information with project partners.

January 11, 2016
Aerial mapping of Macchu Pichu: Drone helps preserve archaeological treasure

Two flights were conducted at 120 meters and 100 meters to gather data to help the Peruvian government protect the site from erosion and wear from tourism. (Photo: Trimble)

High up in the Peruvian Andes Mountains lies Machu Picchu, an Incan citadel built in the 15th century, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In the fall of 2014, Trimble demonstrated its UX5 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) — along with the Trimble Business Center and Inpho UASMaster processing software — at the famed archaeological site.

Machu Picchu is under the threat of landslides and erosion — plus the site experiences heavy rains known to wash away roads. It has also seen an increase in tourism over the years.

As a consequence, the preservation of the landmark is a growing concern for the Peruvian government. Data captured by a fixed-wing UAS is expected to help the many organizations that govern and preserve the site to visualize and monitor the location.

Getting to Machu Picchu is a challenge in itself. A 3.5-hour train ride from the city of Cusco takes visitors almost 8,000 feet above sea level. When a Trimble team visited the site, access to Machu Picchu was arranged well in advance by its distribution partner Geosystems and the Peruvian Ministry of Culture.

Orthophoto of the Macchu Pichu site. (Image: Trimble)

The day of the flight, a small area on one of the terraces was cleared of tourists (but not local llamas) for the flight. Two flights were conducted at 120 meters and 100 meters for enhanced data. Along with Trimble and Geosystems representatives, local archaeologists and surveyors from the Ministry of Culture attended the flight, which went off without any challenges.

With the flight complete, Trimble and Geosystems went to work processing the data immediately in Trimble Business Center and Inpho UASMaster. Trimble Business Center allowed the data to be quickly processed into high-quality point clouds and orthophotos while Inpho UASMaster offers feature-rich photogrammetry workflows.

The following day, Trimble and Geosystems presented government officials with orthophotos and a 3D point cloud model.

December 27, 2015