Rethinking Site Survey: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Site Modeling and Prediction in a Hazardous Environment

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Fulfilling a Nation’s Promise: The Search, Recovery, and Accounting Efforts of DPAA and Its Partners" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Hazardous and difficult-to-navigate terrain often impedes investigation and recovery of missing individuals in forensic archaeological contexts. Here we discuss novel solutions at one such site, a 1,750 m high sheer limestone cliff in Southeast Asia. In addition to the difficult terrain, investigation and recovery is hampered by the scale of the geological feature, which includes a 700 m near-vertical drop, portions of which are covered with dense subtropical vegetation, which makes identifying and accessing potential recovery sites exceptionally challenging. We used an interdisciplinary team to employ remote sensing technologies, artificial intelligence–based computer modeling and analysis, light detection and ranging (lidar), 3D mapping, geospatial analysis, and anomaly detection algorithms on drone video footage to target locations for investigation. Here, we present the outcome of this study, carried out between 2020 and 2023. The result is a focused, systematic approach that limits the time investigation and recovery personnel spend in hazardous conditions—thus ameliorating risks while maximizing recovery potential. The project combines novel approaches and exemplifies interdisciplinary approaches to an anthropological problem.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)   •
• Fulfilling a Nation’s Promise: The Search, Recovery, and Accounting Efforts of DPAA and Its Partners

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38016.0