Mapping the Mines, Part 2: UAS Application

Author(s): Shaun Richey; Robert W. McQueen

Year: 2018

Summary

The use of unmanned aerial systems (aka drones) as part of archaeological survey is becoming more common. This approach holds promise for visually describing the complexity of mining landscapes at a level of detail not available to most aerial imagery. However, the methods and resulting data generated with this approach require closer scrutiny. The variety of technological options available for both the UAS, and for post-processing software, creates difficulty in developing a consistent approach that generates reliable and replicable results. This paper will describe efforts to map a historical mining landscape in central Nevada, with a focus on the methods employed and the accuracy of the results. Do the 3D models and orthomosaic maps that are generated reflect reality? The results are ground-truthed against high accuracy GIS data to evaluate reliability and develop best practices for aerial survey.

Cite this Record

Mapping the Mines, Part 2: UAS Application. Shaun Richey, Robert W. McQueen. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, New Orleans, Louisiana. 2018 ( tDAR id: 441594)

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Keywords

General
Mining Survey UAS

Geographic Keywords
North America United States of America

Temporal Keywords
1860-1940

Spatial Coverage

min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 118