LASER TECH
LiDAR systems allow scientists and mapping professionals to examine both natural and man-made environments with pinpoint accuracy.
According to Francisco Estrada-Belli, a Tulane University archaeologist and National Geographic Explorer, the use of “LiDAR is revolutionising archaeology the way the Hubble Space Telescope impacted astronomy”.
A LiDAR instrument principally consists of a laser, a scanner, and a specialised GPS receiver. Airplanes, drones and helicopters are used for acquiring LIDAR data over broad areas. The remote sensing technology is making it much easier for scientists to discover sites much faster than using traditional archaeological methods.