Archaeological Prospection Using Aerial Thermography and Quantitative Image Processing Methods

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper explores new methods and developments in thermal remote sensing, aerial thermography, for archaeological research. These methods are applied in a pilot study at Picuris Pueblo, NM. Principles of thermal remote sensing that enable subsurface prospection are considered, along with previous investigations in this arena. Expanding upon existing approaches, new quantitative image processing methods for subsurface feature identification are proposed. These methods exploit the enhanced data potential of radiometric thermal data with multitemporal resolution, acquired from a sUAS platform. Using a novel image differencing algorithm, the ephemeral thermal signature of subsurface features is enhanced. Modern machine learning models are applied to the processed thermal imagery to extract the locations of probable subsurface features. Subsurface adobe structures documented during previous investigations are relocated, demonstrating the capability of the proposed methods. Moreover, known features are used as training data for classification of uninvestigated areas of the site, revealing multiple thermal anomalies that may be indicative of additional subsurface architectural features. The image processing methods presented in this study demonstrate the immense potential of thermal remote sensing in archaeology, providing non-destructive approaches for investigating archaeological landscapes.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25361