Remote sensing applied to the study of the cultural and natural heritage in the Mesoamerican Corridor

Abstract

The aim of this work is an approach using multisource remote sensing techniques to study and to evaluate the natural and cultural heritage within the framework of a global research in the Mesoamerican Corridor. Remote sensing, as a non-destructive technique, enable the measurement of spectral anomalies and biophysical parameters which may be indicative of the state of preservation of the big manmade structures, natural ecosystems or diseases that affect them. We investigate the spectral characteristics of the reflectance and emissivity in several multispectral scenes of the pre-Hispanic archaeological sites of the Guayabo (Costa Rica) and Fonseca Gulf (Nicaragua, Honduras and Salvador) what supposed an ancestral migration route. Spectral ranges of the visible-near infrared (VNIR), shortwave infrared (SWIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) from hyperspectral data cubes of HyMAP and MASTER have been used. Spectral patterns and thermal anomalies have been analyzed, as well as the capabilities of DInSAR as evidences of buried remains or pathologies in the natural environment. First results, land cover changes and their consequences in the cultural heritage study and protection are discussed.