LiDAR and the Archaeology Revolution

[BAJR]

http://www.gislounge.com/lidar-archaeology-revolution/

There is no doubt that remote sensing technology has created a dramatic shift in the past few years concerning how scientists and researchers gather and analyze information about the Earth. Remote sensing, the use of satellites or aircraft to gather data about objects from a distance, has an almost infinite number of applications. This kind of technology has been used to monitor the environment, map the ocean, explore the Polar Regions, and much more. Now, a form of remote sensing technology called LiDAR is being used to lead a revolution in archaeology transforming how scientists understand human activity of the past.
Changes in how archaeologists study the past are being brought about by advances in LiDAR technology. LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is a method of remote sensing that uses light to measure varying distances to the Earth. This light is in the form of a pulsated laser, and these pulses can be used to produce exact data about the characteristics of Earth’s surface. LiDAR instruments are made up mainly of a laser, a special GPS receiver, and a scanner typically attached to an airplane or helicopter for use over a wide area.

Read on: http://www.gislounge.com/lidar-archaeology-revolution/
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[John Wells]

Low cost thermal imaging will eventually become part of The Revolution too:
http://blog.ivytools.com/2014/01/08/hand...ed-camera/
http://www.medgadget.com/2014/01/flir-on...mager.html
http://www.flir.com/cvs/cores/view/?id=62648

[Dinosaur]

My experience has mainly been that, even where LiDAR coverage exists (in one case actually done as part of an archaeological project paid for by the taxpayer) no ****er will hand it over or allow it to be reproduced without prohibitive charges

[kevin wooldridge]

My experience has mainly been that, even where LiDAR coverage exists (in one case actually done as part of an archaeological project paid for by the taxpayer) no ****er will hand it over or allow it to be reproduced without prohibitive charges

The Environment Agency web site allows me to download LIDAR data, between 0.25m to 2m resolution, for my Community archaeology groups use or for my academic studies, totally free of charge. Its a great asset for students and local groups and surely only right that commercial organisations should pay.....

[P Prentice]

My experience has mainly been that, even where LiDAR coverage exists (in one case actually done as part of an archaeological project paid for by the taxpayer) no ****er will hand it over or allow it to be reproduced without prohibitive charges

charges are pretty cheap - £30-£40 per tile

[Dinosaur]

The Environment Agency web site allows me to download LIDAR data, between 0.25m to 2m resolution, for my Community archaeology groups use or for my academic studies, totally free of charge. Its a great asset for students and local groups and surely only right that commercial organisations should pay.....

Where there's coverage! Current linear scheme has coverage to either side but we seem to be running up the slot in between

People sit on their lidar same way as they sit on their geofiz data, you can see the massaged end results but not access the data [all I want is a single vertical slice to extend an excavated section into landscape profile - will be able to ride my flying pig under a blue moon to collect it I suppose [yes, I am aware that blue moons do occur, before any wit chips in...]

[Jack]

I look forward to the days of a lidar google earth layer to go with my growing collection of useful layers.