Towards a Standardization of Photogrammetric Methods in Archaeology: A Conversation about 'Best Practices' in An Emerging Methodology

Part of: SAA Electronic Symposia Papers, 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Towards a Standardization of Photogrammetric Methods in Archaeology: A Conversation about 'Best Practices' in An Emerging Methodology," at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Photogrammetry, also known as structure-from-motion (SfM) photography, is a technique that creates three-dimensional models of real world subjects from two-dimensional digital photographs. Several readily available software packages, and the ability to capture a subject through almost any camera or platform, has made photogrammetric techniques a widespread tool for documenting and preserving the archaeological record. Despite its growing ubiquity, there is no agreed-upon "best practices" for photogrammetry. Particular concerns include the underreporting of metrics describing accuracy of models, the lack of standardized workflow for reliably producing models, and long-term curation of digital data. Our symposium will provide a platform for a conversation based around creating standards for the application of photogrammetry to archaeology. The presenters have provided papers, available in an electronic form, that cover a variety of archaeological settings. Discussions will include, but not be limited to, industry issues concerning camera and capturing instruments, recording techniques, workflow methodology, software platforms, display and dissemination of models, analysis, quality of models, data formatting and storage, and 3D model curation. Our goal for this session is to arrive at a consensus amongst the present discussants as to the current state and future of photogrammetry as an archaeological technique.

Other Keywords
Digital Archaeology: Photogrammetry • Cultural Heritage and Preservation • Ethics • Historic • digital archaeology • Bronze Age • Andes: Late Intermediate • Social and Political Organization • Maya: Classic • Quantitative and Spatial Analysis

Investigation Types
Heritage Management

Geographic Keywords
North America (Continent) • United Mexican States (Country) • Belize (Country) • Worldwide • Mesoamerica • United States of America (Country) • Peten (State / Territory) • Missouri (State / Territory) • Republic of El Salvador (Country) • Yucatan (State / Territory)

Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-8 of 8)

  • Documents (8)
Documents
  • 3D or 2-1/2D? Comparing 3D Photogrammetry And Reflectance Transformation Imaging (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Leszek Pawlowicz.

    This is an abstract from the "Towards a Standardization of Photogrammetric Methods in Archaeology: A Conversation about 'Best Practices' in An Emerging Methodology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. 3D photogrammetry, creating digital 3D models using multiple photographs, has become a popular tool for documenting, analyzing and sharing archaeological artifacts and sites. In some cases, though, Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) can be a useful...

  • Bethel Cemetery: Photogrammetric Field Methods in Burial Excavation (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Joshua Myers. Alex Badillo.

    This is an abstract from the "Towards a Standardization of Photogrammetric Methods in Archaeology: A Conversation about 'Best Practices' in An Emerging Methodology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. During the summer of 2018, cultural resource management professionals, in collaboration with local universities, relocated a nineteenth-century cemetery from an urban setting, as a component of planned infrastructure expansion by the Indianapolis...

  • Digital Curation of Photogrammetric Data (2019)
    DOCUMENT Full-Text Rachel Fernandez.

    This is an abstract from the "Towards a Standardization of Photogrammetric Methods in Archaeology: A Conversation about 'Best Practices' in An Emerging Methodology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Back in 2003, archaeologists were warned of what Sullivan and Childs (2003) coined as the “Curation Crisis.” They explained that a set of historical circumstances, “contributed to a crisis in curation of archaeological collections.” Primarily focused on...

  • Digital Deforestation: DTM Generation with Agisoft Photoscan (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Matthew Howland. Thomas Levy.

    This is an abstract from the "Towards a Standardization of Photogrammetric Methods in Archaeology: A Conversation about 'Best Practices' in An Emerging Methodology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Applying digital photogrammetry to archaeological sites is a well-known approach. Also fairly common is photogrammetry’s combination with low-altitude aerial photography (LAAP) in order to generate three-dimensional data and produce GIS outputs such as...

  • Digitization of small artifacts (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Katherine Shurik.

    This is an abstract from the "Towards a Standardization of Photogrammetric Methods in Archaeology: A Conversation about 'Best Practices' in An Emerging Methodology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Over the past 20 years, technology has been developing at great speeds. Multiple methods of digitization have been emerging and been applied to archaeology. The most commonly used tools have been photogrammetry and laser scanning. However, one of the...

  • The Maya Cranial Photogrammetry Project: A Look at Ethics and Best Practices (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Amy Hair. Gabriel Wrobel. Jack Biggs.

    This is an abstract from the "Towards a Standardization of Photogrammetric Methods in Archaeology: A Conversation about 'Best Practices' in An Emerging Methodology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Maya Cranial Photogrammetry Project consists of a database of digitized crania that can be used to investigate questions related to biological and cultural histories. The shape of human remains reflects a complex interplay between the environment and...

  • Methods for the Application of Structure from Motion (SfM) 3D models for the Recording and Consolidation of Archaeological Architecture. (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Mario Borrero. Luke Stroth.

    This is an abstract from the "Towards a Standardization of Photogrammetric Methods in Archaeology: A Conversation about 'Best Practices' in An Emerging Methodology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Photogrammetry is the process of generating 3-Dimensional digital models from still photographs. The process is applied in a variety of field and lab settings for documenting the archaeological record. Currently, there is a need for focus on individual...

  • More than pretty pictures: A decade of aerial imagery and photogrammetry in northern Ecuador (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only David Brown. Mark D. Willis. Chester P. Walker.

    This is an abstract from the "Towards a Standardization of Photogrammetric Methods in Archaeology: A Conversation about 'Best Practices' in An Emerging Methodology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Since 2007 our team has been conducting low level aerial reconnaissance in the northern highlands of Ecuador, a challenging environment with low air pressure, frequent high winds, misting rain, and rapidly alternating intense sun and enveloping low lying...