Repeat Laser Scanning for Deformation Analysis in Prehistoric Earthen Architecture Rockshelter Sites: A Case Study at Tonto National Monument

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Vanishing Treasures Program: Celebrating 20 Years of National Park Service Historic Preservation" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Terrestrial laser scanning has emerged as a versatile tool and standard practice for the documentation, analysis, and storage of spatial information related to cultural resource management. While laser scanning surveys are completed with multiple outcomes in mind, cultural resource managers often maintain the expectation that the data collected can be readily compared to previous or subsequent surveys to assess spatial dynamics within the site. This presentation explores a case study at the cliff dwellings of Tonto National Monument, using two sets of data collected at an approximate interval of 13 years. The presentation discusses the advantages and challenges of performing data comparison in a rockshelter context, including registration and georeferencing techniques, error budget calculation and verification, and the effects of significant changes to instrument specifications between data collection epochs.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Vanishing Treasures Program: Celebrating 20 Years of National Park Service Historic Preservation   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 23173