Original articleCombining Structure-from-Motion with high and intermediate resolution satellite images to document threats to archaeological heritage in arid environments
Section snippets
Research aims
The aim of this research is to develop a multi-scale and multi-temporal approach for the detection and documentation of threats and damage to spatially extensive archaeological sites in arid environments. Archaeological sites in arid environments are particularly suitable for the application of remote sensing methods due to sparse or absent vegetation cover. However, no single method is able to provide data for analysis at very high spatial resolution, high temporal resolution and large area
Structure-from-Motion
Structure-from-Motion (SfM) is a multi-image photogrammetric technique which allows the creation of high-resolution 3D data sets from sets of digital images. Benefiting from rapid increases in the computing power of regular PCs and readily available software, SfM is increasingly being applied in archaeology to document objects and sites [18].
The section of the geoglyph which appeared most affected by off-road vehicles during fieldwork in December 2012 was documented by pole photography. Using
SfM-based geoglyph characterisation and assessment of damage
Contrary to the majority of the geoglyphs in the World Heritage area near Nazca which were created by piling up continuous stone banks along the outlines of the features, the geoglyph studied here was created by aligning a large number of small stone piles. In the 138 m long and 12 m wide segment recorded by SfM (Fig. 5), there are 127 stone piles which make up the western (67 piles) and eastern (60 piles) lines of the geoglyph. Despite extensive damage which had occurred by the time of SfM image
Conclusions
The approach presented in this paper combines the benefits of remote sensing data and analyses at very different spatial and temporal resolution. While single method approaches face constraints regarding spatial resolution, temporal resolution or area coverage, this combined approach allows to:
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locate archaeological heritage in single-period high resolution satellite images;
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detect and quantify disturbances at high temporal resolution of a few weeks using multiple sequential intermediate
Acknowledgements
I wish to thank J. Isla Cuadrado (ANDES – Centro de Investigación para la Arqueología y el Desarrollo, Peru) and J. Astuhuaman Blanco (PAP, Peru) for their hospitality and the logistical support during the fieldwork. The paper benefited from the helpful comments made by two anonymous reviewers and a final read-through by K. Barton (LGS, Ireland).
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