'X' Marks the Spot: Transferring Dig Site Coordinates from Maps to Google Earth

Dinosaur Provincial Park has been a popular site for palaeontological digs for many years. Over time, the many quarries and bone beds uncovered have had their locations marked on large paper topography maps. Unfortunately, many dig sites have been lost due to poor documentation. Some sites have been abandoned for years. The high erosion levels of the park (2 – 4 mm yearly) continually both destroys dig sites and uncovers new fossils. To help recover old, unused dig sites, the coordinates of the sites marked on the old paper maps were uploaded to Google Earth Pro for easy access. Unfortunately, the points had to first be transferred to clear mylar maps, because the original paper maps lacked longitude and latitude measurements. This was accomplished by matching the topography when the scale of the maps differed, and by overlaying the clear maps on the paper maps when they did not. The distance of each point from a line of longitude or latitude was found using a ruler (each mm measured on the map representing 10 m in the park) and used to calculate their coordinates. After the coordinates were found, they were recorded in a Google SpreadSheet. Once this was completed for all 462 points, they were uploaded to Google Earth Pro. The purpose of this project was to provide more easily accessible records of dig sites and prevent further record loss as the old paper maps age and their condition deteriorates. The massive paper maps are unwieldy and impractical to use in the field, and something more compact is needed. Google Earth is easily accessed on a computer or cell phone, and the points will not be lost due to physical damage, degradation, or misplacement of the records. In addition, it takes up far less space in digital form, and thus is better for field work than the original maps

Piecing Together Prehistoric Life: Scanning and Articulating Gorgosaurus

The Skull bones of a Gorgosaurus Libratus was laser scanned in order to articulate the model into software and 3D print. The model had to be articulated due to some missing bone, making it unrealistic to put together. Using the scanned pieces we articulated the model making a skull of The Gorgosaurus Libratus. This detailed computer skull can be sent anywhere in the world, for anyone to study. These scans could also be used to find out how the Gorgosaurus Libratus bit down or determine the way these animals moved. Prior to laser scanning, a method known as Photogrammetry was used. This method involves taking photos of the model and processing the images on a computer, which slow down the process. Another way used to replicate bones was by making silicone molds. This could damage the bone which makes it a method used less often. Laser scanning is the fastest and safest method in order to scan a bone. After the bones were articulated on the computer they were sent to a 3D printer. Unfortunately, the printer beds could not hold the massive skull. Due to this, the bones were printed half size. In order to 3D print, the holes of the model had to be filled using another program. The holes were caused by the light of the laser scanner not being able to go into all the holes creating shadows that the laser scanner could not pick up. However, after the holes were filled some of the objects were still too big to fit on the printer bed. Therefore, some of the objects were cut in half to fit. The 3D printed models were then printed and assembled