Thursday, July 2, 2020

Sky Archeology with LIDAR

Dr. A. Stewart Walker (Lidar Magazine); Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
LIDAR acquisition from fixed-wing aircraft dominates QSI’s flying program. In the Pacific Northwest, for example, there are often considerable challenges due to terrain and coniferous vegetation.
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Hyperspectral: LIDAR returns for each tree
Lidar Magazine: Despite the pandemic, you are working on many projects. Can you give us a flavor of some of the most exciting ones? ...

Senior V.P. Mark Meade (Quantum Spatial Inc.): Our scale and the diversity of our solutions enable us to work on many incredibly exciting projects.

We just completed a very large project that fused hyperspectral data with high-density LIDAR [laser imaging, detection, and ranging] to identify the species and health of deciduous vegetation.

This was specifically related to ash trees that are falling prey to the emerald ash borer [beetle] and serve as a major risk to above-ground infrastructure for electricity. We were told this was the largest high-resolution hyperspectral project ever undertaken anywhere in the world.

In terms of scenic locations, few projects can compare to the natural beauty of Yosemite National Park.

We are nearing the completion of 1,243 square miles of LIDAR there at QL1 specifications. We couldn’t resist flying Half Dome and El Capitan at much higher densities.... More
What about finding pyramids, civilizations?
Imagine the possibilities: discovering African pyramids in Egypt from the sky.

Dr. Sarah Parcak knows there are no straight lines in nature. Grids indicate human cities.
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Airborne Archaeology (Lidar Mag)
Space Archaeologist Dr. Sarah Parcak has worked in 12 countries and four continents, using multispectral and high-resolution satellite imagery to identify thousands of previously unknown pyramids, temples, settlements, roads, fortresses, palaces, tombs, and even [potential evidence of extraterrestrial visits]. From there, her stories take us back in time and across borders, into the day-to-day lives of ancient humans whose traits and genes we share. More

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