Lasers and Pixels: Using Terrestrial LiDAR and Photogrammetry to Record Rock Art at the Polychrome site in Montezuma Canyon

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Archaeological Research in Montezuma Canyon, San Juan County, Utah" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

LiDAR scanning and photogrammetry are quickly becoming extremely useful tools for archaeologists. This is especially the case for documenting complex rock art panels that can be difficult to fully represent using traditional techniques constrained to 2D formats. In contrast, terrestrial LiDAR and photogrammetry provide a coverage, quality, and precision that traditional methods are mostly unable to achieve. This paper discusses the methods and results from both terrestrial LiDAR scanning and photogrammetry of a series of rock art panels situation on a cliff face at the Polychrome Site in Montezuma Canyon, Utah. Conclusions from this project show that these technologies are extremely useful for capturing rock art details. Data captured from LiDAR and photogrammetry can be used to generate digital models that can be processed for a variety of uses including detailed visualization, modeling, replication, and publication both in print and in online formats. As methods and technologies improve, the will prove to be some of the better technologies for documenting rock art.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeological Research in Montezuma Canyon, San Juan County, Utah   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24803