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Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies

University of Arkansas

High Accuracy/Resolution Landscape and Structure Characterization System

Home » Research » Archaeology/Historic Preservation » Archaeological Geomatics » High Resolution System (HARLS)

The High Accuracy/Resolution Landscape and Structure Characterization System (HARLS-CS) is an integrated suite of instruments designed to rapidly and accurately characterize the topographic and multi-spectral properties of the surfaces of relatively small areas (e.g. 100s of square meters to 10s of hectares) and structures (such as building facades) at very high resolution (25 mm - 0.5 m). The system provides coordinated three dimensional, multi-spectral and metric image-based measurements necessary for a wide range of mensuration, classification, and quantitative characterization analyses. The system dramatically expands existing research activities in a number of disciplines and multidisciplinary areas. It serves as a shared resource in the fields of anthropology, archeology, architecture, biological and agricultural engineering, community planning/policy, entomology, geography, geology, and water resource management. It also plays a significant role in expanding research training by providing advanced undergraduates and graduate students access to critically important data as well as new capabilities for the development of valuable methodological expertise.

The acquisition of the system was made possibel by a 2004  National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Program grant (BCS 0321286) The system is comprised of an Optech ILRIS 3D laser profiler, a Konica Minolta Vivid 9i laser scanner, TerraVerde's TerraHawk airborne multispectral imaging platform, the ASDI field spectroradiometer, three Nikon digital cameras with calibrated lens, a Trimble 5700/5800 GPS survey system, a Trimble 5600 Robotic total station, supporting software (e.g. Innovmetric PolyWorks, Trimble Geomatics Office and EOS PhotoModeler) and a Genie TZ-50 tow-able boom . This suite integrates seamlessly into a well-developed set of existing research resources including a Raytheon 250 thermal imager, extensive multispectral and photogrammetric software and hardware as well as existing research programs and institutional structures. The HARLS-CS instruments are suitable for close range, terrestrial and boom uses and the multispectral and photographic components can be mounted in light aircraft, if needed.

A wide variety of projects have employed HARLS instruments. A sample of these projects include: 

Ostia Antica 3D Scanning Project 
Aerial Archaeology at Double Ditch
Airborne Imaging
Laser Scanning at Tiwanaku
Microtopography at Pea Ridge 
Scalable Forest Monitoring
Armana 3D Scanning Project  
Laser Scanning at Machu Picchu
Virtual Hampson Museum