Archaeological Survey Using Airborne Lidar

Archaeological survey using airborne lidar is an important technique to be added to the toolbox of the archaeological surveyor, and when used in the appropriate circumstances it can reveal archaeological remains in exceptional detail. This course, which combined a mixture of classroom teaching with practical exercises and hands-on applications, informed historic environment professionals of the potential and practical use of lidar data and lidar-derived imagery for research and heritage management.

Although lidar data has been available for some years now and is recognized as a useful technique for archaeological surveyors, it was not always fully understood. This course helped participants grasp the most efficient applications, where it can reveal archaeological remains in exceptional detail while also exploring possible pitfalls relating to data capture and interpretation.

The course aimed to provide participants with the skills and confidence to identify and understand archaeological features in lidar data and the imagery derived from it. It introduced the main applications of lidar for heritage management (including the strengths and limitations of this source of information) and discussed how to use the different types of lidar data provided to best effect. The ways in which archaeology appears in lidar-derived imagery and problems of interpretation caused by non-archaeological processes were also investigated. Practical guidance was given on how to produce a map of archaeological features recorded by lidar.