UAV LiDAR Survey for Archaeological Documentation in Chiapas, Mexico
Open Access
- 23 November 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Remote Sensing
- Vol. 13 (23), 4731
- https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13234731
Abstract
Airborne laser scanning has proven useful for rapid and extensive documentation of historic cultural landscapes after years of applications mapping natural landscapes and the built environment. The recent integration of unoccupied aerial vehicles (UAVs) with LiDAR systems is potentially transformative and offers complementary data for mapping targeted areas with high precision and systematic study of coupled natural and human systems. We report the results of data capture, analysis, and processing of UAV LiDAR data collected in the Maya Lowlands of Chiapas, Mexico in 2019 for a comparative landscape study. Six areas of archaeological settlement and long-term land-use reflecting a diversity of environments, land cover, and archaeological features were studied. These missions were characterized by areas that were variably forested, rugged, or flat, and included pre-Hispanic settlements and agrarian landscapes. Our study confirms that UAV LiDAR systems have great potential for broader application in high-precision archaeological mapping applications. We also conclude that these studies offer an important opportunity for multi-disciplinary collaboration. UAV LiDAR offers high-precision information that is not only useful for mapping archaeological features, but also provides critical information about long-term land use and landscape change in the context of archaeological resources.Funding Information
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NSSC20K1265)
- National Science Foundation (BCS-1917671)
- Alphawood Foundation (n/a)
This publication has 69 references indexed in Scilit:
- Good practices for estimating area and assessing accuracy of land changeRemote Sensing of Environment, 2014
- NASA Goddard’s LiDAR, Hyperspectral and Thermal (G-LiHT) Airborne ImagerRemote Sensing, 2013
- Territory, Trust, Growth, and Collapse in Classic Period Maya KingdomsCurrent Anthropology, 2013
- Uncovering archaeological landscapes at Angkor using lidarProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2013
- Lidar mapping and surface survey of the Izapa state on the tropical piedmont of Chiapas, MexicoJournal of Archaeological Science, 2013
- Geospatial revolution and remote sensing LiDAR in Mesoamerican archaeologyProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2012
- Development of a UAV-LiDAR System with Application to Forest InventoryRemote Sensing, 2012
- Airborne LiDAR, archaeology, and the ancient Maya landscape at Caracol, BelizeJournal of Archaeological Science, 2011
- Archaeological prospection of forested areas using full-waveform airborne laser scanningJournal of Archaeological Science, 2008
- Sak Tz’i’, a Classic Maya Center: A Locational Model Based on GIS and EpigraphyLatin American Antiquity, 2003