Case Studies
Virtual Archeology and Visualization
High Accuracy/Resolution Landscape and Structure Characterization System
Domus Romana Final Project Latin 3003 Ovid Fall 2004
The Narrows in 3D - A Virtual and Educational Experience
The Swartkrans GIS Project - Using Geographic Information Systems to explore cave taphonomy
Scanning Old Main - A Preliminary Assessment
3D Applications at the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Spiro Mounds Micro-Topography Study
Creating Realistic Animation Through EAST
Mapping Microtopography at Double Ditch State Historic Site
Monitoring Site Condition - Yellowstone National Park
The North American Database of Archeological Geophysics
Internet Virtual Metrology Lab
3D Fayetteville in Google Earth
Laser Scanning at Machu Picchu
Ostia Antica 3D Scanning Project
El Fuerte de Samaipata 3D Scanning Project
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Wilson, AR
The Hampson Archaeological Museum State Park in Wilson, Arkansas, houses some of the most extraordinary examples of Native American pottery in North America. Researchers at CAST are currently using the Konica-Minolta VIVID 9i to scan artifacts from the museum collection. These three dimensional models will be made available in an online "Virtual" Hampson Museum in July 2008. Visitors to the site will be able to view and interact with the 3D artifacts, allowing for an interactive museum-like experience. Interested parties, including archaeologists and other researchers, will also be able to download the models with provided software and perform basic measurements and analysis.
El Fuerte de Samaipata 3D Scanning Project
Bolivain Andes
Located in the eastern foothills of the Bolivian Andes, El Fuerte de Samaipata is a rich archaeological area consisting of a large sandstone outcrop measuring approximately 1.68 hectares (4.15 acres), as well as the remains of Inca administrative and residential structures. The area was first occupied and used as a ritual and residential center by the Mojocoyas culture as early as AD 300.
The El Fuerte de Samaipata 3D Scanning Project seeks to document the artistic and architectural elements of this premier World Heritage site through the application of non-destructive technologies. Not only is this site a statement of the religious and political ideologies of the cultures who created and used it over the centuries, but it is also in danger of being erased through degradation over time.
In order to document such a large and complex site in a thorough and accurate manner, a 3D survey was conducted using a terrestrial light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system. This device was used to collect a dense array of survey points across the surface of El Fuerte. These survey points were collected across the carved stone surface of the site. These data points are now being processed to recreate El Fuerte as a 3-dimensional computer model which will form the basis of future analytical work and inform preservation measures.
The ancient city of Tell el-Amarna, Egypt
Amarna was the short-lived capital of the Egyptian empire envisioned and constructed by the pharaoh Akhenaten during the late Eighteenth Dynasty of the New Kingdom. Construction was begun in 1347 BCE and the city was abandoned after Akhenaten's death a mere 15 years later in 1332 BCE.
In March of 2008, researchers from CAST accompanied the University of Arkansas Bioarchaeological Field School and the Amarna Trust of the University of Cambridge to the former site of Amarna, 194 miles (312 km) south of Cairo. Using 3D laser scanners, the CAST team will conduct high-density survey (HDS) of architectural remains at the site as well as collect high-definition scans of artifacts and art of the Amarna culture.
Ostia Antica 3D Scanning Project
Ostia, Italy
In antiquity, the city of Ostia served initally as a port and military outpost for the Roman Republic, and later as a resort community for Imperial Rome. Fieldwork conducted in Ostia includes high density survey (HDS) using the Optech 3D laser scanner, photogrammetric-quality digital images, and high definition scans of architectural elements using the Minolta VIVID-9i. These data have since been used to teach virtual reconstruction and visualization techniques to undergraduate students in Architecture, Geosciences, Anthropology, Archaeology, and Classical Studies.
Tiwanaku, Bolivia
In the summer of 2005, researchers from CAST traveled to Bolivia to collect high density, three dimensional survey data at Tiwanaku. The city of Tiwanaku was settled from around A.D. 500-950. The people of Tiwanaku constructed large mounds, platforms, and stone monuments to form the core of their city whose influence stretched across the altiplano throughout the Lake Titicaca Basin. In 2006, CAST returned for a second season of survey to more fully document this UNESCO World Heritage site. In addition to the Optech laser scanner used in 2005, a Minolta VIVID 9i was used in the 2006 survey. While the monumental core of the site was surveyed with the long-range Optech system, artifacts and architectural details were the primary target of laser scanning with the Minolta system
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Laser Scanning at Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu, Peru
During the summer of 2005 researchers from CAST, in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, conducted a high-density survey of the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu. Constructed at an elevation of nearly 8,000 feet (2,440 meters) above sea level in the mid 1400s, Machu Picchu initially served as a place of worship and as a royal retreat for the Inca ruler Pachacuti and his guests. This UNESCO World Heritage site is now Peru's largest tourist __ destination, attracting nearly a half a million tourists each year.
3D Fayetteville in Google Earth
Fayetteville, AR
Two teams collaborated to provide information for the city of Fayetteville, Arkansas. The team created a 3D virtual map of the buildings on
and around Dickson Street and the Square, the heart of Fayetteville. Using the most advanced technololgy available, project team members custom-created each building in this "master plan." The goal was to create an interactive 3D virtual map of the Master Plan District so the future development could be visualized in its context. 3D modeling was done with SketchUp using building footprint data derived acquired from the City of Fayetteville, LIDAR-derived elevation data, and building measurements from Pictometry "bird's-eye view" data. Each building within the district was constructed and photos were applied as the textures.
High Density Survey (HDS) / terrestrial LiDAR data sets are very large and complex. Often they exceed 100s of million's of points. In the past, distribution of these data was very difficult and required the purchase of expensive and complex specialized software. The goal of the Internet Virtual Metrology Lab (InVirMet) is to facilitate the remote access, measurement, analysis of these 3-dimensional data in a manner that increases the number of people who can use these extraordinarily rich data.
Within InVirMet, visitors may access numerous 3D models created from laser scanning projects conducted by CAST. These models can be downloaded and viewed using IMView, a free 3D data viewing and analysis software provided by InnovMetric, makers of the Polyworks software suite. Using IMView, users can view and manipulate the 3D models as well as extract basic 3D measurements (distance, angle, radius, etc...).
The Narrows in 3D – A Virtual and Educational Experience
The Narrows, a local rock shelter in Northwest Arkansas, is known by archeologists and locals alike for a series of painted petroglyphs located on its rock walls. The site is a “cliff overhang” about 15 feet deep and 30 feet wide that was inhabited by a American tribe, the Caddo, an estimated 500 years ago. Several panels of painted petroglyphs depicting human figures are associated with the Caddoan occupation and are still visible at the site today. With the protection of the rock overhang, the estimated 30 glyphs have been remarkably preserved, however, because of the site’s accessibility it has continued to be looted and disturbed for the last 60 years.
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The Optech ILRIS 3D laser profiler was used to obtain a scaled replica of the shelter and the associated petroglyphs. The resulting data are an accurate mapping of the rock surface which could not have been as easily or as accurately obtained by traditional surveying techniques. The 3D model of the shelter provides archeologists with the means to study and analyze the site without having to visit it.
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It further provides a sort of “digital copy” of the site that can be revisited in future studies as the site continues to change over the years.
The Swartkrans GIS Project Using Geographic Information Systems to explore cave taphonomy
Gauteng, North West Province, South Africa
The Lower Pleistocene fossil site of Swartkrans has been excavated periodically since 1948 by Robert Broom and John Robinson and, most recently, by C.K. Brain. Brain’s last major effort ended more than fourteen years ago. This cave site has yielded the single largest sample of the early hominid species Paranthropus robustus, and several specimens referred to as the human ancestor, Homo erectus.
Fossil remains and tools found at the site of Swartkrans have been attributed to a variety of taphonomic stimuli such as hominid activity, carnivore activity, alluvial deposition and gravitation. In fact, accumulations at this and other Plio-Pleistocene cave sites in South Africa have probably resulted from a combination of these factors. This webpage presents information on a method developed to allow researchers to archive and visualize fossil, artifact, and geological data in their spatial contexts, and to further explore taphonomic factors responsible for such accumulations.
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This study uses a new 3D approach combining Intergraph’s Voxel Analyst and ESRI’s Arcview 3D Analyst to overcome this limitation. Results present an accurate three-dimensional model of the site and its contents for data storage and analysis.
Scanning Old Main – A Preliminary Assessment
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Old Main is the oldest building on the University of Arkansas campus. Constructed in 1875, it became the first official University building three years after the University’s inception in January of 1872. This redbrick building with a Mansard roof is a beautiful example of 19th century Second Empire style architecture.
The goal of the project was to create a 3D model of this historic building for publication on the Internet and to maintain a model from which accurate measurements can be derived.
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A detailed article on the work is available in the recent issue of the professional survey magazine POB.
New Approaches to the Use and Integration of Multi-Senso Remote Sensing for Historic Resource Identification and Evaluation.
Kasita Town, Silver Bluff, Escondida Pueblo, Army City, Whistling Elk, Mount Comfort Sites.
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The research focus of this project is the development of powerful new analytical approaches that demonstrate the effectiveness of non-invasive archeological methods and the deployment of tools that offer an opportunity to recover a great deal of information about site content while reducing costs associated with traditional archaeological survey and excavation.Exploration and assessment of the benefits of combining a large suite of ground, aerial and space-based sensor data for the detection of subsurface archaeological features is central to this research. |
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Spiro Micro-Topography Study
Spiro Mounds Archeological Park, Spiro, Oklahoma
Spiro is one of the most important Mississippian sites in North America.
Located in eastern Oklahoma, the site is characterized three types of mounds; one burial mound, two temple mounds,
and nine house mounds; ceremonial plazas and supporting city environs.
This study focuses on Brown Mound, a temple mound which has been both looted and excavated in the past.
A goal of the project was to generate a higher resolution contour map than the existing 25 cm contour interval map shown below.
Additional objectives of the project included generation of a five cm resolution digital elevation model (DEM) and creation of a
3D model of the mound.
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Fieldwork photos are here. February. March. April.
Creating Realistic Animation Through EAST (CRATE)
High school students spent two summers on the Parkin project. The goal of the project was to generate a 3D recreation
of the 16th century Parkin archeological site, the Indian village of Casqui located in NE Arkansas.
The project's products include:
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Awakening of the Guard - Animated movie of the interior of the Native American Casqui home. |
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St. Francis Flyover - Animated flyover of the prehistoric landscape and area of St. Francis river along the Casqui Villiage |
| Power Point - The students created a power point presentation explaining how the project was completed. | |
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Virtual Exhibits - Several interactive movies of objects and the home were created, these are Quicktime VR's that the user can navigate through with the use of the mouse. |
| Posters - Three posters where completed for the project, a comparison of last years to this years project, information on rendering and images of the St. Francis Flyover. |
Final Project Latin 3003 Ovid Fall 2004
This project was assigned in Latin 3003 (Ovid) for several reasons. First, the students read the entire Metamorphoses in translation, and it seemed appropriate for them to gain some understanding of where these myths appear in Roman culture outside of literature.
Many of the myths in the Metamorphoses are found in actual houses from Pompeii, often in surprising forms and combinations. Further, in designing and decorating rooms in a virtual Roman house, students could begin to imagine how they might communicate power (or a cutting-edge sense of political dissatisfaction, or even sexual ambiguity) through their decorative choices. They could also begin to imagine how performances of Ovid or other Latin poetry in a Roman dining room or bath might interact with visual depictions of myth on the walls or floors. Last but not least, this project was an attempt to expose humanities students to 2D and 3D software, drawing, and image manipulation techniques. Classics is interdisciplinary by nature, and multimedia projects should challenge boundaries between art history, literature, and social history and encourage students to think holistically about antiquity. In general, universities must teach students visual as well as verbal communication skills, and classics is a great place to begin.
This virtual house was designed using SketchUp software from @Last; the decorative textures (paintings, mosaics) were developed using Adobe Photoshop. In Sketchup, problems were solved as they presented themselves: the basic blocks of the building were easy to draw, but how about the inward sloping roofs of the atrium and peristyle? Once we had these, how about the fluted columns? What sort of transition did the Romans themselves use between the columns and the roof, or between the column bases and floor of the peristyle or impluvium? Problems led us into more complex geometries, and the infamous "follow me" tool.
For paintings and mosaics, we scanned pictures and then copied and flipped layers to make the basis for a continuous 3rd or 4th style scheme. Again, we learned as we went--our initial approach was to import images and "glue" them to walls, but at the end we relied much more on converting the images to materials and "painting" them on the walls in SketchUp.
The beauty of this approach is that these painted textures can be repositioned in SketchUp, allowing for precise joins with walls, floors, and corners. Neither students nor professor had any knowledge of SketchUp when the semester began, and this necessarily led to comprises in complexity and "finish." However, SketchUp on the whole is not that difficult, and the Photoshop techniques were also fairly easy to master.
Three-Dimensional Optical Scanning to Assess Erosion of Archaeological Sites, Yellowstone National Park, U.S.A.
High resolution (1-cm), three-dimensional images of archaeological sites exposed on the shore of Yellowstone Lake (Yellowstone National Park, USA) were acquired utilizing the High Accuracy/Resolution Landscape and Surface Characterization System (HARLS-CS). The HARLS-CS deployed during August 2004 in Yellowstone National Park was composed of an Optech ILRIS 3D laser profiler, Trimble 5700/5800 total station with GPS, and supporting software (e.g. Innovmetric PolyWorks and EOS PhotoModeler). Preliminary scans of archaeological sites at Osprey Beach and nearshore bluffs adjacent to 48YE449 and 48YE395 provided extraordinarily detailed 3-D imagery that will serve as reference images to quantify erosion of these sites resulting from rain, wind, wave, and ice activity along the lakeshore during the next year. This demonstration project will provide resource managers unparalleled ability to accurately document degradation of important archaeological sites resulting from natural processes and will provide insight into the magnitude of lakeshore erosion/deposition with the aim of developing strategies for long-term management of critical cultural resources in the nation's oldest national park.
Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies
304 JBHT, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville AR 72701
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