drone (Other Keyword)
1-11 (11 Records)
In 2017, we used UAVs (drones) to record eight archaeological sites from the air. As this type of technology becomes more refined, we have found that it is especially useful in carrying out three specific tasks: contour mapping, archiving site conditions, and identifying architecture. This paper reports our findings resulting from aerial images captured while flying archaeological sites in Nayarit and Chihuahua, Mexico.
Archaeological Aerial Thermography in Theory and Practice (2015)
Archaeologists have recognized since the 1970s that thermal images captured at an optimal time in the diurnal cycle have the potential to reveal surface artifacts, subtle topography, and even subsurface architectural remains. However, it is only with the recent development of reliable and stable unmanned aerial vehicles, small, uncooled, high-resolution thermal cameras, and powerful photogrammetric image processing software that archaeological aerial thermography has become practical. This...
Ciudad de Dios: An Analysis of Destruction Using Drone Technology (2019)
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. In July of 2018, the archaeological site of Ciudad de Dios, located in the Moche Valley of the north coast of Peru, was surveyed using a drone. The digital map was then used to not only analyze the settlement’s organization, but also the natural and unnatural destruction that has affected the preservation of the site. Excavated by MOCHE Inc. in 1998, Ciudad de...
Drone-based Survey to Mitigate Climate Change Impacts on Scotland’s Eroding Coastal Heritage (2023)
This is an abstract from the session entitled "Methods for Monitoring Heritage at Risk Sites in a Rapidly Changing Environment", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. Scotland is a maritime nation and much of its archaeological heritage is located at the coast. This rich heritage is threatened by erosion, accelerated by climate change. Hundreds of sites are vulnerable to destruction, but the scale of the issue far outweighs available resources for...
Evaluating the Sensys MagDrone R3 Aerial Magnetometer System (2020)
This is a paper/report submission presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. In early 2019 the Applied History Lab at the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island-based company GeoNautic Solutions acquired a Sensys MagDrone R3 fluxgate aerial magnetometer and a DJI Matrice 200 small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS). Performance testing of the aerial magnetometer system began in the summer months after sUAS training and FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot...
The Eye in the Sky: Use of an Aerial Drone to Record Landscape Alteration in the Malloura Valley, Cyprus (2017)
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones on archaeological projects has proliferated over the past few years. As with many new technologies, the use of drones has gone through several phases. Initially, there is the fascination with a new instrument, followed by more sober assessment of how the equipment can be used to address questions of scholarly interest. In an effort to record the changes in the local landscape of our study area in central Cyprus, the Athienou Archaeological...
Modeling Space at Tell Timai: Composite imaging at Greco-Roman Thmuis, Egypt (2015)
Ancient Thmuis represents one of the best preserved examples of a Greco-Romano-Egyptian metropolis in the Nile Delta. However, preservation of the tell is variable, with sections on the periphery having been stripped by systematic looting of mud and red brick to buildings while in the center of the tell walls three stories tall and well-defined streets are common. Archaeological work and subsequent preservation have depended on a variety of imaging methods to reconstruct segments of the city. ...
Speed Mapping: Using drones to construct imagery and elevation models of cultural intertidal landscapes (2017)
Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have been used extensively in remote sensing in recent years because of their low cost and ease of implementation. Mapping cultural sites in intertidal areas is challenging because of the short time window in which features are exposed. UAS provide an efficient and high spatial resolution method of capturing imagery and elevation data for a variety of cultural landscapes. We have used UAS at sites along the coastal margin of British Columbia to map clam gardens,...
Unearthing a town from the sky: Kom Wasit, the bird’s eye archaeological point of view. (2015)
In this presentation we will show the way we used an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to reproduce an accurate map of Kom Wasit, an archaeological site of the Nile Delta located in the province of Beheira. An orthophoto was generated using photogrammetry and GIS, which combined layers of information such as the magnetometry results and the topography survey. It was therefore possible to recreate what can be dug in the future and to understand the settlement pattern of this Late Dynastic town. SAA...
Using Aerial Remote Sensing to Assess Error and Uncertainty in Archaeological Site Mapping (2017)
Archaeologists often find themselves excavating sites where previous investigations have been performed, and documentation relating to earlier work may be of varying quality. This discussion focuses on the use of a topographic mapping drone to assess error and uncertainty in archaeological site survey performed at Tel Lachish, Israel since the 1930’s. Systematic assessments of historical map datasets were performed within a Geographic Information System (GIS) allowing for an enhanced...
Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Aerial Photogrammetry on the San Diego Coastline (2015)
Developments in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) over the past five years have allowed for their use among non-experts and the rapid development, at relatively low cost, of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) or drones. UASs use the UAV platform to carry a variety of sensors. One of the most important developments coming from this technology is the ability to collect aerial photos for photogrammetry at relatively low cost. In an effort to better understand the uses, practical issues of operation, and...