UAS Geospatial Survey – Data Acquisition and Interpretation
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 16/12/2023

Adam Stanford & Scott Williams, Sumo GeoSurveys

As archaeologists we investigate and record evidence of past human activity using many different methods throughout all stages of a project. We look at the ground surface for subtle earthworks and changes in vegetation which may indicate the sub-surface archaeological potential. An Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) geospatial survey is one of the most efficient ways of identifying archaeological potential without intervention.

A suite of sensors is available for UAS geospatial prospection: the use of multispectral technologies, already well-implemented in agriculture, is gaining new ground in archaeological application; thermographic imaging can be applied to landscape surveys to investigate archaeological potential; whilst RGB imaging is the foundation of UAS archaeological prospection and can be used to produce photogrammetric orthomosaics, and Digital Elevation Models for detailed interpretation.

This paper will present three case studies — Stonehenge, newly discovered Circles in Wales, and Arthur’s Stone — and examine the techniques used to acquire and interpret the data.