scholarly journals Revealing Archaeological Sites under Mediterranean Forest Canopy Using LiDAR: El Viandar Castle (husum) in El Hoyo (Belmez-Córdoba, Spain)

Drones ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Antonio Monterroso-Checa ◽  
Juan Carlos Moreno-Escribano ◽  
Massimo Gasparini ◽  
José Alejandro Conejo-Moreno ◽  
José Luis Domínguez-Jiménez
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
Mediterranean Forest ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Private Land ◽  
Archaeological Prospection

Light detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology is a valuable tool for archaeological prospection in areas covered by dense vegetation. Its capacity to penetrate dense forest environments enables it to detect archaeological remains scattered over orographically complex areas. LiDAR-derived digital terrain models (DTMs) have made an exceptional contribution towards identifying topographic landscapes of archaeological interest. In this study, we focus on an area of intense historic settlement from the Chalcolithic to the Middle Ages, which today is completely covered by Mediterranean forest. Due to the dense canopy, and the fact that it is a protected area on private land, it has never been analyzed. To reveal the settlement, we primarily used a series of LiDAR mapping surveys to gather data and analyzed other open access remote sensing resources from the National Geographic Institute of Spain (IGN). The IGN LiDAR data proved to be of particular interest. These resources enabled us to detect an ancient fortress (El Viandar Castle) and its surrounding settlement. LiDAR, in conjunction with other products, was fundamental in identifying the site. Equally, the mapping surveys enabled us to analyze the limits and scope of the IGN airborne LiDAR and other free access remote sensing products. Our background in this research demonstrates that low-cost products applied to LiDAR research in archaeology have major limitations when it is necessary to have a high level of spatial resolution in order to define the layout and the main components of an archaeological site.

Aerial and Remote Sensing Archaeology

2019 ◽  
pp. 642-660
Author(s):  
Dimitris Kaimaris ◽  
Charalampos Georgiadis ◽  
Petros Patias ◽  
Vassilis Tsioukas
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
New Techniques ◽  
Methodological Procedures ◽  
Short Time ◽  
Remote Sensing Archaeology

New techniques and methodological procedures, which would allow at a short time and at low cost for the identification of a new archaeological site, were always in the interest of archaeologists. In this paper, aerial and remote sensing archaeology issues will be analyzed, both as measuring tools for the documentation of existing archaeological structures as well as tools of archaeology prospection, which are based on the appearance of the reflection of covered structures in images, i.e. the so-called marks.

Aerial and Remote Sensing Archaeology

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitris Kaimaris ◽  
Charalampos Georgiadis ◽  
Petros Patias ◽  
Vassilis Tsioukas
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
New Techniques ◽  
Methodological Procedures ◽  
Short Time ◽  
Remote Sensing Archaeology

New techniques and methodological procedures, which would allow at a short time and at low cost for the identification of a new archaeological site, were always in the interest of archaeologists. In this paper, aerial and remote sensing archaeology issues will be analyzed, both as measuring tools for the documentation of existing archaeological structures as well as tools of archaeology prospection, which are based on the appearance of the reflection of covered structures in images, i.e. the so-called marks.

scholarly journals Using Airborne Lidar for Detection and Morphologic Analysis of Waterbodies Obscured by the Forest Canopy

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Anamaria Roman ◽  
Tudor-Mihai Ursu ◽  
Sorina Fărcaş ◽  
Vlad-Andrei Lăzărescu ◽  
Coriolan Horaţiu Opreanu
Keyword(s):  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Digital Terrain Model ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
Terrain Model ◽  
Digital Terrain ◽  
Forested Landscapes ◽  
Morphologic Analysis ◽  
Small Wetland ◽  
Important Progress

Abstract The goal of this study was to map watercourses, watersheds, and small wetland features that are completely obscured by the forest canopy using airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) within the archaeological site from Porolissum. This technology was used to generate a bare-earth Digital Terrain Model (DTM) with 0.5 m spatial resolution in order to map small depressions and concavities across 10 km2 of forested landscape. Although further research is needed to determine the ecological, geological, and archaeological significance of the mapped waterbodies, the general methodology represents important progress in the rapid and accurate detection of wetland habitats in forested landscapes.

scholarly journals A Low Cost Rokkaku Kite Setup for Aerial Photogrammetric System

2015 ◽  
Vol XL-3/W2 ◽  
pp. 103-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. F. Khan ◽  
K. Khurshid ◽  
N. Saleh ◽  
A. A. Yousuf
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Control Point ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Target Area ◽  
Small Areas

Orthogonally Projected Area (OPA) of a geographical feature has primarily been studied utilizing rather time consuming field based sampling techniques. Remote sensing on the contrary provides the ability to acquire large scale data at a snapshot of time and lets the OPA to be calculated conveniently and with reasonable accuracy. Unfortunately satellite based remote sensing provides data at high cost and limited spatial resolution for scientific studies focused at small areas such as micro lakes micro ecosystems, etc. More importantly, recent satellite data may not be readily available for a particular location. This paper describes a low cost photogrammetric system to measure the OPA of a small scale geographic feature such as a plot of land, micro lake or an archaeological site, etc. Fitted with a consumer grade digital imaging system, a Rokkaku kite aerial platform with stable flight characteristics is designed and fabricated for image acquisition. The data processing procedure involves automatic Ground Control Point (GCP) detection, intelligent target area shape determination with minimal human input. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) is built from scratch in MATLAB to allow the user to conveniently process the acquired data, archive and retrieve the results. Extensive on-field experimentation consists of multiple geographic features including flat land surfaces, buildings, undulating rural areas, and an irregular shaped micro lake, etc. Our results show that the proposed system is not only low cost, but provides a framework that is easy and fast to setup while maintaining the required constraints on the accuracy.

scholarly journals Modeling the View Angle Dependence of Gap Fractions in Forest Canopies: Implications for Mapping Fractional Snow Cover Using Optical Remote Sensing

2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1005-1019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jicheng Liu ◽  
Curtis E. Woodcock ◽  
Rae A. Melloh ◽  
Robert E. Davis ◽  
Ceretha McKenzie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
Analysis Model ◽  
Forest Canopies ◽  
Fractional Snow Cover ◽  
Go Model

Abstract Forest canopies influence the proportion of the land surface that is visible from above, or the viewable gap fraction (VGF). The VGF limits the amount of information available in satellite data about the land surface, such as snow cover in forests. Efforts to recover fractional snow cover from the spectral mixture analysis model Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) snow-covered area and grain size (MODSCAG) indicate the importance of view angle effects in forested landscapes. The VGF can be estimated using both hemispherical photos and forest canopy models. For a set of stands in the Cold Land Field Processes Experiment (CLPX) sites in the Fraser Experimental Forest in Colorado, the convergence of both measurements and models of the VGF as a function of view angle supports the idea that VGF can be characterized as a function of forest properties. A simple geometric optical (GO) model that includes only between-crown gaps can capture the basic shape of the VGF as a function of view zenith angle. However, the GO model tends to underestimate the VGF compared with estimates derived from hemispherical photos, particularly at high view angles. The use of a more complicated geometric optical–radiative transfer (GORT) model generally improves estimates of the VGF by taking into account within-crown gaps. Small footprint airborne lidar data are useful for mapping forest cover and height, which makes the parameterization of the GORT model possible over a landscape. Better knowledge of the angular distribution of gaps in forest canopies holds promise for improving remote sensing of snow cover fraction.

scholarly journals Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Vegetation Analyses with a Special Focus on Savannas

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 507
Author(s):  
Tasiyiwa Priscilla Muumbe ◽  
Jussi Baade ◽  
Jenia Singh ◽  
Christiane Schmullius ◽  
Christian Thau
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Terrestrial Laser Scanning ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Parameter Extraction ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Vegetation Parameter

Savannas are heterogeneous ecosystems, composed of varied spatial combinations and proportions of woody and herbaceous vegetation. Most field-based inventory and remote sensing methods fail to account for the lower stratum vegetation (i.e., shrubs and grasses), and are thus underrepresenting the carbon storage potential of savanna ecosystems. For detailed analyses at the local scale, Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) has proven to be a promising remote sensing technology over the past decade. Accordingly, several review articles already exist on the use of TLS for characterizing 3D vegetation structure. However, a gap exists on the spatial concentrations of TLS studies according to biome for accurate vegetation structure estimation. A comprehensive review was conducted through a meta-analysis of 113 relevant research articles using 18 attributes. The review covered a range of aspects, including the global distribution of TLS studies, parameters retrieved from TLS point clouds and retrieval methods. The review also examined the relationship between the TLS retrieval method and the overall accuracy in parameter extraction. To date, TLS has mainly been used to characterize vegetation in temperate, boreal/taiga and tropical forests, with only little emphasis on savannas. TLS studies in the savanna focused on the extraction of very few vegetation parameters (e.g., DBH and height) and did not consider the shrub contribution to the overall Above Ground Biomass (AGB). Future work should therefore focus on developing new and adjusting existing algorithms for vegetation parameter extraction in the savanna biome, improving predictive AGB models through 3D reconstructions of savanna trees and shrubs as well as quantifying AGB change through the application of multi-temporal TLS. The integration of data from various sources and platforms e.g., TLS with airborne LiDAR is recommended for improved vegetation parameter extraction (including AGB) at larger spatial scales. The review highlights the huge potential of TLS for accurate savanna vegetation extraction by discussing TLS opportunities, challenges and potential future research in the savanna biome.

scholarly journals Ears in the Sky: Potential of Drones for the Bioacoustic Monitoring of Birds and Bats

Drones ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Adrien Michez ◽  
Stéphane Broset ◽  
Philippe Lejeune
Keyword(s):  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Population Monitoring ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Active Species ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Technical Developments ◽  
High Resolution Imagery ◽  
Human Operators ◽  
The Impact

In the context of global biodiversity loss, wildlife population monitoring is a major challenge. Some innovative techniques such as the use of drones—also called unmanned aerial vehicle/system (UAV/UAS)—offer promising opportunities. The potential of UAS-based wildlife census using high-resolution imagery is now well established for terrestrial mammals or birds that can be seen on images. Nevertheless, the ability of UASs to detect non-conspicuous species, such as small birds below the forest canopy, remains an open question. This issue can be solved with bioacoustics for acoustically active species such as bats and birds. In this context, UASs represent an interesting solution that could be deployed on a larger scale, at lower risk for the operator, and over hard-to-reach locations, such as forest canopies or complex topographies, when compared with traditional protocols (fixed location recorders placed or handled by human operators). In this context, this study proposes a methodological framework to assess the potential of UASs in bioacoustic surveys for birds and bats, using low-cost audible and ultrasound recorders mounted on a low-cost quadcopter UAS (DJI Phantom 3 Pro). The proposed methodological workflow can be straightforwardly replicated in other contexts to test the impact of other UAS bioacoustic recording platforms in relation to the targeted species and the specific UAS design. This protocol allows one to evaluate the sensitivity of UAS approaches through the estimate of the effective detection radius for the different species investigated at several flight heights. The results of this study suggest a strong potential for the bioacoustic monitoring of birds but are more contrasted for bat recordings, mainly due to quadcopter noise (i.e., electronic speed controller (ESC) noise) but also, in a certain manner, to the experimental design (use of a directional speaker with limited call intensity). Technical developments, such as the use of a winch to safely extent the distance between the UAS and the recorder during UAS sound recordings or the development of an innovative platform, such as a plane–blimp hybrid UAS, should make it possible to solve these issues.

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