The use of orthophotos have been a part of archaeology for over 100 years. Aerial surveys can show details that cannot be seen on the ground. Airborne digital imagery covers large areas and provides opportunities to find new deposits and archaeological sites. LiDAR technology has only been used in archaeology for the past ten years or so, both because of its methodology and because of its accessibility. The main goal of using LiDAR data in archaeology is producing detailed micro-relief map, where anthropogenic effects can be easily detected. Archaeological analysis needs high resolution maps (resolution is more precise than one metre), as many objects that should be identified are only a few metres, or even smaller. By using UAV technology the documentation for a given site can be done and it can be used to test and analyse structures and artefacts. Aerial images generated from drones can be ideal for producing photogrammetric terrain models and, since we can make orthogonal orthophotos with them are perfect for supplying documentation.
Potential applications:
- Archaeology