184 research outputs found
Exploiting satellite SAR for archaeological prospection and heritage site protection
No full textOptical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing has a long history of use and reached a good level of maturity in archaeological and cultural heritage applications, yet further advances are viable through the exploitation of novel sensor data and imaging modes, big data and high-performance computing, advanced and automated analysis methods. This paper showcases the main research avenues in this field, with a focus on archaeological prospection and heritage site protection. Six demonstration use-cases with a wealth of heritage asset types (e.g. excavated and still buried archaeological features, standing monuments, natural reserves, burial mounds, paleo-channels) and respective scientific research objectives are presented: the Ostia-Portus area and the wider Province of Rome (Italy), the city of Wuhan and the Jiuzhaigou National Park (China), and the Siberian “Valley of the Kings” (Russia). Input data encompass both archive and newly tasked medium to very high-resolution imagery acquired over the last decade from satellite (e.g. Copernicus Sentinels and ESA Third Party Missions) and aerial (e.g. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, UAV) platforms, as well as field-based evidence and ground truth, auxiliary topographic data, Digital Elevation Models (DEM), and monitoring data from geodetic campaigns and networks. The novel results achieved for the use-cases contribute to the discussion on the advantages and limitations of optical and SAR-based archaeological and heritage applications aimed to detect buried and sub-surface archaeological assets across rural and semi-vegetated landscapes, identify threats to cultural heritage assets due to ground instability and urban development in large metropolises, and monitor post-disaster impacts in natural reserves
The Institutionalisation of a Creative Practice: Changing Roles of Regional Design in Dutch National Planning
No full textThis chapter discusses the organisational setting of regional design in the realms of spatial planning and territorial governance. As a starting point, it argues that rules on how imagined design solutions function in an abstract, simplified ‘planning world’ are an important regional design product. When focusing on these rules, regional design practice resembles discretionary action. As such, it aims to improve planning decisions by judging the implications of planning frameworks when applied to particular situations. This implies that the involvement of actors in design practice requires careful consideration. As in any form of legitimate rule-building, a critical distance between those who initiate practices and conduct design, and those who judge the quality and relevance of design outcomes is essential. On the basis of these considerations the chapter investigates regional design practices that occurred between the 1980s and 2010s in the context of Dutch national planning. It shows how they transformed from being a form of professional advocacy, criticising planning, into a practice that was pragmatically used to implement a national planning agenda. The chapter concludes by discussing this institutionalisation of a creative practice in the Netherlands, reflecting upon the implications of these outcomes for territorial governance in particular.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Spatial Planning and Strateg
Analyzing TerraSAR-X staring spotlight mode data for archaeological prospections in the Altai Mountains
No full textRemotely sensed data can support archaeological prospections in many ways and is therefore widely used. However, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data is far less commonly used, although with the newest generation of high-resolution SAR systems and the additional very high resolution staring spotlight mode of TerraSAR-X, the spatial resolution of spaceborne SAR systems are suitable for many archaeological applications. We demonstrate the suitability of very high resolution TerraSAR-X data for the detection of archaeological structures in the Chinese Altai Mountains. SAR interferometry can further enhance the interpretability of the remotely sensed data. However, interferometrie SAR is rather sensitive for atmospheric changes and changes on the ground and can therefore not always be used successfully
La constitution d'une nation = The Constitution of a Nation
No full textBalz defines the concepts of nation and state in the context of Canada's multi-cultural situation. The author then demonstrates how seven Canadian artists propose new spatial and social configurations. Brief texts by three of the seven exhibiting artists
Three‐ and four‐dimensional topographic measurement and validation
No full textThis paper reports on the activities carried out in the context of “Dragon project 32278: Three‐ and Four‐Dimensional Topographic Measurement and Validation”. The research work was split into three subprojects and encompassed several activities to deliver accurate characterization of targets on land surfaces and deepen the current knowledge on the exploitation of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. The goal of Subproject 1 was to validate topographic mapping accuracy of various ESA, TPM, and Chinese satellite system on test sites in the EU and China; define and im-prove validation methodologies for topographic mapping; and develop and setup test sites for the validation of different surface motion estimation techniques. Subproject 2 focused on the specific case of spatially and temporally decorrelating targets by using multi‐baseline interferometric (In‐ SAR) and tomographic (TomoSAR) SAR processing. Research on InSAR led to the development of robust retrieval techniques to estimate target displacement over time. Research on TomoSAR was focused on testing or defining new processing methods for high‐resolution 3D imaging of the inte-rior of forests and glaciers and the characterization of their temporal behavior. Subproject 3 was focused on near‐real‐time motion estimation, considering efficient algorithms for the digestion of new acquisitions and for changes in problem parameterization.</p
Discernibility of Burial Mounds in High-Resolution X-Band SAR Images for Archaeological Prospections in the Altai Mountains
No full textThe Altai Mountains are a heritage-rich archaeological landscape with monuments in almost every valley. Modern nation state borders dissect the region and limit archaeological landscape analysis to intra-national areas of interest. Remote sensing can help to overcome these limitations. Due to its high precision, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data can be a very useful tool for supporting archaeological prospections, but compared to optical imagery, the detectability of sites of archaeological interest is limited. We analyzed the limitations of SAR using TerraSAR-X images in different modes. Based on ground truth, the discernibility of burial mounds was analyzed in different SAR acquisition modes. We show that very-high-resolution TerraSAR-X staring spotlight images are very well suited for the task, with >75% of the larger mounds being discernible, while in images with a lower spatial resolution only a few large sites can be detected, at rates below 50%
Detect, Map, and Preserve Bronze and Iron Age Monuments along the Prehistoric Silk Road
No full textCentral Asia is rich in cultural heritage generated by thousands of years of human occupation. Aiming for a better understanding of Central Asia's archaeology and how this unique heritage can be protected, the region should be studied as a whole with regard to its cultural ties with China and combined efforts should be undertaken in shielding the archaeological monuments from destruction. So far, international research campaigns have focused predominantly on single-sites or small-scale surveys, mainly due to the bureaucratic and security related issues involved in cross-border research. This is why we created the Dzungaria Landscape Project. Since 2013, we have worked on collecting remote sensing data of Xinjiang including IKONOS, WorldView-2, and TerraSAR-X data. We have developed a method for the automatic detection of larger grave mound structures in optical and SAR data. Gravemounds are typically spatially clustered and the detection of larger mound structures is a sufficient hint towards areas of high archaeological interest in a region. A meticulous remote sensing survey is the best planning tool for subsequent ground surveys and excavation. In summer 2015, we undertook a survey in the Chinese Altai in order to establish ground-truth in the Hailiutan valley. We categorized over 1000 monuments in just three weeks thanks to the previous detection and classification work using remote sensing data. Creating accurate maps of the cemeteries in northern Xinjiang is a crucial step to preserving the cultural heritage of the region since graves in remote areas are especially prone to looting. We will continue our efforts with the ultimate aim to map and monitor all large gravemounds in Dzungaria and potentially neighbouring eastern Kazakhstan
Deciphering Circular Anthropogenic Anomalies in PALSAR Data—Using L-Band SAR for Analyzing Archaeological Features on the Steppe
No full textSynthetic aperture radar has been employed for archaeological purposes for nearly forty years: nonetheless, its application among archaeological practitioners has remained limited. We analyzed circular anthropogenic anomalies in a steppe environment in PALSAR-2 data, which appeared as a homogeneous group of signatures. Each anomaly was examined using additional SAR and optical data, as well as investigated through extensive ground truth and, in one case, excavation. We found the anomalies to originate from a wide range of processes and structural characteristics showing the non-intuitive complexity of SAR data interpretation. We found that this is likely the reason for the limited application SAR has seen within the archaeological community. In order to improve the usage of SAR for archaeological purposes beyond change detection and digital elevation models, specific products that are more readily understandable and superior to optical data in a narrow frame of application should be developed
Glacial Archaeology in Northern Norway—The Island of Seiland
No full textNorway is at the forefront of monitoring ice patches and glaciers for archaeological remains, and thousands of artifacts have been recovered over the past two decades due to accelerating melting. The majority of finds stem from the lower latitudes of the country and relatively little is known about the glacial archaeology of Norway’s far north. We use historical maps and high-resolution LiDAR derived elevation models to monitor ice flow and melt. We employ a terrain ruggedness index to map areas of non-moving ice which possibly contain well-preserved archaeological finds, and model least cost paths to understand the accessibility for humans and animals of an archaeologically unexplored landscape. We then conduct a sailboat supported exploratory survey on the arctic island of Seiland. While we fail to locate archaeologically productive ice, we identify and date a so far unknown type of archaeological stone structure likely related to sheltering and reindeer hunting/herding activities
Sar Simulatio N Based Change Detectio N With High-Reso Lutio N Sar Images In Urban Enviro Nments
No full textC mbined pr cessing using different sens r types, i .e. f r applicati ns like change detecti n, require s a g d ge-referencing. Furtherm re the individual sens r pr perties have t b e taken int acc unt. SAR systems are side-l king and run-time systems. They suffer fr m cclusi ns and ambiguities especially in urban areas. Additi nally lay ver and shad w effe cts disturb the ge-referencing f SAR images in urban areas, which is a prerequisite f r a successful change detecti n. An impr ved g e-referencing can be achieved by simulating 3D-city m dels r street dat asets using a SAR simulat r and c mparing the simul ated image t the real image. C rresp ndences between simulated and real image can be used f r ge-referencing the image accrding t the c rdinates f the 3D-city m del r street dataset. The ge-refere nced dataset can afterwards be used f r change dete cti n analysis. SAR images represent a side-view f the three dimensi nal w rl d. An aut mated change detecti n using SAR images sh uld take this fact int c nsiderati n and theref re sh uld use 3D-m dels as reference f r the change-detecti n. These m dels a re simulated and the simulated image is c mpared t the ge-referenced i mage, revealing changes between the simulated m del and the real image. 1. INTRO DUCTIO The urban envir nment is f the utm st imp rtance f r human s ciety. I n 2001, ar und 50% f the human p pulati n lived in cities and these numbers are still rising, especially in less develped c untries (UNCHS, 2001). The dense placement f buildings in cities requires a g d res luti n f the re m te sensing systems, t distinguish between the neighb uring bu ildings. M dern high-res luti n airb rne SAR systems reach very high res luti ns up t 10cm (Ender & Brenner, 2003) and are theref re usea..
- …
