[Aztlan] UCF News and Information - Caracol

[Elaine Day Schele]

Dear Listeros,

 

This is awesome news and it looks so promising.  Something that might be of
interest to you all is that even though the article does not state the
method that will be used to bring the LIDAR "raster" image into mapping
software (a necessary step to create a map), these raster LIDAR images can
be georeferenced into GIS and then digitized as shapefiles that represent
buildings and terraces.  

I feel the need to make one clarification about a statement attributed to
Arlen Chase: "The lasers we're using to map the ruins have never been used
before," said UCF archaeologist Arlen Chase. "And it's going to make a world
of difference because traditional methods of mapping are very time
consuming, very laborious and very slow." 

I am not sure if the reference here is to "new" types of LIDAR sensors, but
in fact, LIDAR sensors have been used at Copan, Honduras in 2000.  In
addition, I used their LIDAR image to georeference my new and improved GIS
Copan map (still in progress). The story of why LIDAR was used at Copan is
mixed in with the Hurricane Mitch event (read down to the last paragraph
below). LIDAR technology was used in several hard hit areas in Latin America
after Hurricane Mitch.  

"Soon after the <Texas Bureau of Economic Geography> purchased its own LIDAR
unit in 2000, the  <javascript:;> U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) asked the
Bureau to participate in an investigation of the impacts of Hurricane Mitch,
which struck Central America in November 1998. Honduras was especially
hard-hit, and flooding, high winds, and landslides destroyed much of the
country's infrastructure. Honduras is currently rebuilding the housing and
infrastructure destroyed by the hurricane. To minimize the effects of future
storm disasters, the Honduran government needs maps that clearly define
areas prone to flooding and landslides.

The joint Bureau-USGS team surveyed 15 municipal areas of Honduras. Maps and
surveys that would have been nearly impossible using ground-based methods
were accomplished in a few weeks. Although the data are currently being
processed, initial results have exceeded expectations. The Bureau feels
proud to be playing a small, but critical, role in helping Honduras recover
from one of the worst natural disasters in Latin American history.

In addition to flood hazard mapping, and when the field schedule allowed,
Bureau scientists made side trips to Copan to conduct LIDAR and GPS surveys
of the Mayan ruins. These LIDAR and GPS data are being used by archeologists
to develop a GIS database, a crucial element in the Hondurans' preservation
strategy for this renowned archeological treasure."

 

To see some of LIDAR images and to read more on the story go to:
http://www.beg.utexas.edu/resprog/latinamer/honduras.htm

 

Elaine

 

-----Original Message-----
From: aztlan-bounces at lists.famsi.org [mailto:aztlan-bounces at lists.famsi.org]
On Behalf Of Edward Allen
Sent: Saturday, May 10, 2008 8:36 PM
To: Aztlan at lists.famsi.org
Subject: [Aztlan] UCF News and Information - Caracol

 

To the List;  The Chases have gotten their hands on some new mapping
technology.

http://news.ucf.edu/UCFnews/index?page=article
<http://news.ucf.edu/UCFnews/index?page=article&id=00240041a0ca090119cd98901
306f35&mode=news> &id=00240041a0ca090119cd98901306f35&mode=news