553 research outputs found
Automated detection of archaeological mounds using machine-learning classification of multisensor and multitemporal satellite data.
This paper presents an innovative multisensor, multitemporal machine-learning approach using remote sensing big data for the detection of archaeological mounds in Cholistan (Pakistan). The Cholistan Desert presents one of the largest concentrations of Indus Civilization sites (from ca 3300 to 1500 BC). Cholistan has figured prominently in theories about changes in water availability, the rise and decline of the Indus Civilization, and the transformation of fertile monsoonal alluvial plains into an extremely arid margin. This paper implements a multisensor, multitemporal machine-learning approach for the remote detection of archaeological mounds. A classifier algorithm that employs a large-scale collection of synthetic-aperture radar and multispectral images has been implemented in Google Earth Engine, resulting in an accurate probability map for mound-like signatures across an area that covers ca 36,000 km2 The results show that the area presents many more archaeological mounds than previously recorded, extending south and east into the desert, which has major implications for understanding the archaeological significance of the region. The detection of small (30 ha) suggests that there were continuous shifts in settlement location. These shifts are likely to reflect responses to a dynamic and changing hydrological network and the influence of the progressive northward advance of the desert in a long-term process that culminated in the abandonment of much of the settled area during the Late Harappan period.ER
Big Earth Data for Cultural Heritage in the Copernicus Era
Digital data is stepping in its golden age characterized by an increasing
growth of both classical and emerging big earth data along with trans- and multidisciplinary
methodological approaches and services addressed to the study, preservation
and sustainable exploitation of cultural heritage (CH). The availability of new
digital technologies has opened new possibilities, unthinkable only a few years ago
for cultural heritage. The currently available digital data, tools and services with
particular reference to Copernicus initiatives make possible to characterize and
understand the state of conservation of CH for preventive restoration and opened up
a frontier of possibilities for the discovery of archaeological sites from above and
also for supporting their excavation, monitoring and preservation. The different
areas of intervention require the availability and integration of rigorous information
from different sources for improving knowledge and interpretation, risk assessment
and management in order to make more successful all the actions oriented to the
preservation of cultural properties. One of the biggest challenges is to fully involve
the citizen also from an emotional point of view connecting “pixels with people”
and “bridging” remote sensing and social sensing
Integración geoespacial para mapear asentamientos prehispánicos en los límites del imperio azteca
[EN] Mexico s vast archaeological research tradition has increased with the use of remote sensing technologies; however, this recent approach is still costly in emerging market economies. In addition, the scales of prospection, landscape, and violence affect the type of research that heritage-culture ministries and universities can conduct. In Central Mexico, researchers have studied the pre-Hispanic Settlement Pattern during the Mesoamerican Postclassic (900-1521 AD) within the scope of the Aztec Empire and its conquests. There are settlements indications before and during the rule of the central empire, but the evidence is difficult to identify, particularly in the southwest of the capital, in the transition between the Lerma and Balsas River basins and their political-geographical complexities. This research focuses on a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based processing of multiple source data, the potential prospection of archaeological sites based on spatial data integration from Sentinel-2 optical sensors, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Digital Terrain Model (DTM), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and field validation. What is revealed is the relationship between terrain morphologies and anthropic modifications. A binary map expresses possible archaeological remnants as a percentage; NDVI pixels and the morphometry values were associated with anthropic features (meso-reliefs with a tendency to regular geometries: slope, orientation, and roughness index); they were then interpreted as probable archaeological evidence. Within archaeological fieldwork, with limited resources (time, funding and staff), this approach proposes a robust method that can be replicated in other mountainous landscapes that are densely covered by vegetation.[ES] México tiene una vasta tradición de investigación arqueológica que, en las últimas décadas, se ha incrementado con el uso de tecnologías de percepción remota; sin embargo, este enfoque sigue siendo costoso en el contexto de las economías emergentes. Además, las escalas de prospección, paisaje e inseguridad influyen en el tipo de investigación que realizan los ministerios de patrimonio cultural y las universidades. En el Centro de México, el Patrón de Asentamiento Prehispánico durante el Posclásico Mesoamericano (900-1521 d.C.), ha sido estudiado dentro del alcance del Imperio Azteca y sus conquistas. Hay indicios de asentamientos antes y durante el dominio del Imperio central, pero la evidencia es difícil de identificar; particularmente en el suroeste de la capital, en la transición entre las cuencas de los ríos Lerma y Balsas y sus complejidades político-geográficas. Esta investigación se centra en el procesamiento basado en GIS de datos de múltiples fuentes, la prospección de sitios arqueológicos apoyada en la integración de datos espaciales de los sensores ópticos Sentinel-2, el vehículo aéreo no tripulado (UAV), el modelo digital del terreno (MDT), el índice de vegetación de diferencia normalizada (NDVI) y la validación de campo, que revelan la relación entre las morfologías del terreno y las modificaciones antrópicas. Un mapa binario expresa los posibles remanentes arqueológicos como un porcentaje; los píxeles del NDVI y los valores de morfometría se asociaron a características antrópicas (mesorrelieves con tendencia a geometrías regulares: pendiente, orientación e índice de rugosidad), y se interpretaron como probable evidencia arqueológica. Dentro del trabajo de campo arqueológico, con recursos limitados (tiempo, finanzas y auxiliares), este enfoque sugiere un método robusto que puede ser replicado en otros paisajes montañosos que están densamente cubiertos por vegetación.Miranda-Gómez, R.; Cabadas-Báez, HV.; Antonio-Némiga, X.; Dávila-Hernández, N. (2022). Geospatial integration in mapping pre-Hispanic settlements within Aztec empire limits. Virtual Archaeology Review. 13(27):49-65. https://doi.org/10.4995/var.2022.161064965132
Archaeological site identification from open access multispectral imagery: Cloud computing applications in Northern Kurdistan (Iraq)
This paper presents the results of an archaeological survey carried out in the Navkur
Plain, Iraqi Kurdistan, as part of the ‘Asingeran Archaeological Project’. The survey
was prepared using remote sensing products accessed via Google Earth Engineⓒ, a
large-scale cloud computing service freely available to the scientific community that
allows processing remote sensing big data. Outputs generated with a multitemporal
approach are particularly successful for archaeological research, because it is possible
to maximize the visibility of archaeological sites, improving their detection. Multispectral
imagery from Landsat 5, Landsat 7 and Sentinel-2 collections were used and
processed, testing their utility for finding unknown ancient settlements in the densely
studied area of Northern Mesopotamia. Seventeen new sites were discovered in an
already surveyed area of limited size (<100 km2), showing the potentialities of this
method. The advantages of cloud computing for Near Eastern Archaeology and the
results of the survey are also presented and discussed
Recent trends and long-standing problems in archaeological remote sensing
The variety and sophistication of data sources, sensors, and platforms employed in archaeological remote sensing have increased significantly over the past decade. Projects incorporating data from UAV surveys, regional and research-driven lidar surveys, the uptake of hyperspectral imaging, the launch of high-temporal revisit satellites, the advent of multi-sensor rigs for geophysical survey, and increased use of structure from motion mean that more archaeologists are engaging with remote sensing than ever. These technological advances continue to drive research in the specialist community and provide reasons for optimism about future applications, but many social and technical obstacles to the integration of remote sensing into archaeological research and heritage management remain. This article addresses the challenges of contemporary archaeological remote sensing by briefly reviewing trends and then focusing on providing a critical overview of the main structural problems. The discussion here concentrates on topics that have dominated the discourse in recent archaeological literature and featured prominently in ongoing fieldwork for the past decade across three broad segments of landscape archaeology: data collection in the field, the current state of data access and archives, and processing and interpretation
GIS and remote sensing for post-dictive analysis of archaeological features. A case study from the Etnean region (Sicily)
This article illustrates the potential of multispectral satellite data for archaeological scope in the volcanic area of Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy). In particular, by adopting a post-dictive approach, GIS and FOSS technology was used to analyse different indices derived from World-View-2 multispectral data. The selected examples (two circular buildings and a wall-structure) illustrate successes and challenges of our method. The results indicate that NIR-1 and RED-EDGE are undoubtedly the most useful, while NDVI and SRI are the best performing indices
Contribution of remote sensing technologies to a holistic coastal and marine environmental management framework: a review
Coastal and marine management require the evaluation of multiple environmental threats
and issues. However, there are gaps in the necessary data and poor access or dissemination of existing
data in many countries around the world. This research identifies how remote sensing can contribute
to filling these gaps so that environmental agencies, such as the United Nations Environmental
Programme, European Environmental Agency, and International Union for Conservation of Nature,
can better implement environmental directives in a cost-e ective manner. Remote sensing (RS)
techniques generally allow for uniform data collection, with common acquisition and reporting
methods, across large areas. Furthermore, these datasets are sometimes open-source, mainly
when governments finance satellite missions. Some of these data can be used in holistic, coastal
and marine environmental management frameworks, such as the DAPSI(W)R(M) framework
(Drivers–Activities–Pressures–State changes–Impacts (on Welfare)–Responses (as Measures),
an updated version of Drivers–Pressures–State–Impact–Responses. The framework is a useful
and holistic problem-structuring framework that can be used to assess the causes, consequences, and
responses to change in the marine environment. Six broad classifications of remote data collection
technologies are reviewed for their potential contribution to integrated marine management, including
Satellite-based Remote Sensing, Aerial Remote Sensing, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Unmanned
Surface Vehicles, Unmanned Underwater Vehicles, and Static Sensors. A significant outcome of this
study is practical inputs into each component of the DAPSI(W)R(M) framework. The RS applications
are not expected to be all-inclusive; rather, they provide insight into the current use of the framework
as a foundation for developing further holistic resource technologies for management strategies in
the future. A significant outcome of this research will deliver practical insights for integrated coastal
and marine management and demonstrate the usefulness of RS to support the implementation of
environmental goals, descriptors, targets, and policies, such as theWater Framework Directive, Marine
Strategy Framework Directive, Ocean Health Index, and United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals. Additionally, the opportunities and challenges of these technologies are discussed.Murray Foundation: 25.26022020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Remote Sensing and Geosciences for Archaeology
This book collects more than 20 papers, written by renowned experts and scientists from across the globe, that showcase the state-of-the-art and forefront research in archaeological remote sensing and the use of geoscientific techniques to investigate archaeological records and cultural heritage. Very high resolution satellite images from optical and radar space-borne sensors, airborne multi-spectral images, ground penetrating radar, terrestrial laser scanning, 3D modelling, Geographyc Information Systems (GIS) are among the techniques used in the archaeological studies published in this book. The reader can learn how to use these instruments and sensors, also in combination, to investigate cultural landscapes, discover new sites, reconstruct paleo-landscapes, augment the knowledge of monuments, and assess the condition of heritage at risk. Case studies scattered across Europe, Asia and America are presented: from the World UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa to heritage under threat in the Middle East and North Africa, from coastal heritage in the intertidal flats of the German North Sea to Early and Neolithic settlements in Thessaly. Beginners will learn robust research methodologies and take inspiration; mature scholars will for sure derive inputs for new research and applications
MULTISPECTRAL UAV DATA ENHANCING THE KNOWLEDGE OF LANDSCAPE HERITAGE
Landscape heritage, especially if it does not arouse great public echoes, needs great attention, starting from knowledge and metric documentation processes to which reality-based sensing techniques often contribute significantly. The primary purpose of this work is to reflect on the possibility of identifying submerged built heritages, which are sometimes characterised by precarious safety conditions due to abandonment, through multispectral photogrammetric technologies with primary data acquired by UAVs. The experience carried out in an impervious alpine territory foresees the close relationship of integration of photogrammetric techniques in the visible and the multispectral ranges, with the integration of terrestrial scanning solutions from slam-based mobile systems, to validate the results provided by the analysis of the spectral signatures of different kind of soils
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