Keep your Boots on: LiDAR as a Reconnaissance and Survey Tool on the Vaca Plateau, Belize

Summary

Recent studies have demonstrated the revolutionary potential of LiDAR as a means of mapping archaeological features within densely forested and/or inaccessible landscapes. In a matter of days, aerial LiDAR scans can survey swaths of forest which would take decades to map on foot. However, in order to effectively exploit the analytical potential of LiDAR datasets, we must understand how the spatial information captured by these systems compare with those produced by traditional ground survey. To this end, we employ a blind-test to examine our ability to identify and classify known archaeological settlement features on a LiDAR map. The results of this blind test expose a number of limitations which may bias LiDAR based settlement surveys. Nevertheless, we emphasize the value of this technology as a means of targeting high potential areas for further exploration, as well as reconnaissance of isolated regions

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage