Mapping Mayapán’s Archaeological Remains and Environmental Characteristics Using UAVs and Photogrammetric Software

Summary

The integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and photogrammetric data processing into existing field techniques simplifies and accelerates mapping and environmental reconstruction. Ongoing investigations in and around Mayapán face the common challenge of mapping archaeological and environmental features and attributes in the context of difficult terrain and dense surface cover. The 2015 field season depended on UAV photography and photogrammetric processing for site and excavation photos as well as production of 3D modeling of archaeological remains and excavation units. In this presentation, I outline the technology used, the data processing workflow, and the resulting products including oblique photos, orthorectified aerial photos, digital elevation models, 3D models, and data layers for use in geographical information systems. I conclude with a discussion of extending and modifying the new technologies, including integrating LiDAR, to better serve archaeological research.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage