Drones in Archaeology

Integrated Data Capture, Processing, and Dissemination in the al-Ula Valley, Saudi Arabia

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4587147
AutoresNeil Smith (0000-0002-2598-9965), Neil G Smith, Luca Passone (0000-0003-2703-1256), Said Al-Said, Mohamed Al-Farhan, T E Levy (0000-0002-8618-6672)
Año2014
Volumen77
Número3
Páginas176-181
Fecha de publicación2014-09-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaNear Eastern Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1094-2076 • E-ISSN: 1557-5594
EditorialUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.5615/neareastarch.77.3.0176
OpenAlexW2218480497
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas25
Referencias citadas4

In late 2013, a joint archaeological and computer vision project was initiated to digitally capture the archaeological remains in the al-Ula valley, Saudi Arabia. The goal of our team of archeologists and computer scientists is to integrate 3D scanning technologies to produce 3D reconstructions of archaeological sites. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) serve as the vehicle which makes this scanning possible. UAVs allow the acquisition of 3D data as easily from the air as from the ground. This project focuses on the recent excavations carried out in ancient Dedan by King Saud University and the country's conservation of the Lihyanite "lion tombs" carved into the ancient city's cliff faces. Over the next several years this site will be used as a test bed to validate the potential of this emerging technology for rapid cultural heritage documentation. We additionally scanned several areas in Mada'in Saleh, an ancient Nabatean city filled with monumental carved sandstone tomb facades, rivaled only by the capital of the Nabatean empire: Petra

Archaeology · Cliff · Cultural heritage · Documentation · Drone · Excavation · Geography · 3D Surveying and Cultural Heritage · Archaeological Research and Protection · Computer Science · Robotics and Sensor-Based Localization