The Visualization of Archaeological features in Alberta from LiDAR Based Digital Terrain Models
Taylor Graham, M.GIS
Senior Project Archaeologist
Bison Historical Services Ltd.
Presented at the 48th Annual Meetings of the Canadian Archaeological Association, Whitehorse, Yukon, May 2016
The use of LiDAR imagery for archaeological feature detection and visualization has been well established across the many regions of the globe. While majority of the recent applications have focused on monumental architecture such as pyramids, temples, medieval churches, and roman roads, little has been done to explore the much smaller surface features found in the plains region of Alberta. This project tests the visualization capability of currently available LiDAR imagery in the province, as applied to four major surface feature types known to occur within the region. The four features types tested were stone circles at Massacre Butte (DjPm-1), drive lane cairns at Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (DkPj-1), Majorville medicine wheel (EdPc-1), and large scale earth works at Cluny (EePf-1). A survey of Archaeological professionals ranks and evaluates the nine different visualization techniques utilized. The applicability of these techniques is then discussed as to their potential for use in the Historical Resources consulting industry.
