UAV LiDAR Survey for Archaeological Documentation in Chiapas, Mexico

Whittaker Schroder,Angélica M. Almeyda Zambrano,Robert Griffin,Charles Golden,Kelsey Herndon,Timothy Murtha,Andrew K. Scherer,Eben N. Broadbent

doi:10.3390/rs13234731

Abstract

Airborne laser scanning has proven useful for rapid and extensive documentation of historic cultural landscapes after years of applications mapping natural landscapes and the built environment. The recent integration of unoccupied aerial vehicles (UAVs) with LiDAR systems is potentially transformative and offers complementary data for mapping targeted areas with high precision and systematic study of coupled natural and human systems. We report the results of data capture, analysis, and processing of UAV LiDAR data collected in the Maya Lowlands of Chiapas, Mexico in 2019 for a comparative landscape study. Six areas of archaeological settlement and long-term land-use reflecting a diversity of environments, land cover, and archaeological features were studied. These missions were characterized by areas that were variably forested, rugged, or flat, and included pre-Hispanic settlements and agrarian landscapes. Our study confirms that UAV LiDAR systems have great potential for broader application in high-precision archaeological mapping applications. We also conclude that these studies offer an important opportunity for multi-disciplinary collaboration. UAV LiDAR offers high-precision information that is not only useful for mapping archaeological features, but also provides critical information about long-term land use and landscape change in the context of archaeological resources.

Highlights

Airborne LiDAR has transformed archaeological mapping and prospection, especially in densely forested neotropical regions [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
We present several digital elevation or terrain models (DEMs) interpolated from ground classified point returns, demonstrating the success of unoccupied aerial vehicles (UAVs) LiDAR collection in archaeological contexts and the potential for further analyses that build off high-resolution topographic data
UAV LiDAR requires complementary fieldwork and in this case study has benefitted from the decade of research and community relationship development that preceded the UAV flights

Summary

Introduction

Airborne LiDAR has transformed archaeological mapping and prospection, especially in densely forested neotropical regions [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. As LiDAR systems evolve, terrestrial and UAV applications are increasingly subject to experimentation As currently configured, such smaller-scale systems do not offer broad regional inventories like occupied airborne efforts, but they offer potentially new opportunities for collaboration and precision data about landscapes that are not always accessible via occupied airborne systems. UAV LiDAR is an emerging innovative tool for archaeology, especially archaeological research focused on long-term studies of coupled natural and human systems. This tool is potentially transformative, especially when complemented by occupied airborne LiDAR, UAV photogrammetry, and terrestrial mapping technologies

Methods

Results

Conclusion