Recent Developments in High-Density Survey and Measurement (HDSM) for Archaeology: Implications for Practice and Theory

Abstract

HDSM, high-density survey and measurement, is the collective term for a range of new technologies that give us the ability to measure, record, and analyze the spatial, locational, and morphological properties of objects, sites, structures, and landscapes with higher density and more precision than ever before. This article considers HDSM technologies, including airborne lidar, real-time kinematic global navigation satellite system (GNSS) survey, robotic total stations, terrestrial laser scanning, structured light scanning and close-range photogrammetry [CRP, also known as structure from motion (SfM)], and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based SfM/CRP and scanning, and we discuss the impact of these technologies on contemporary archaeological practice. This article reflects on how the democratization and proliferation of HDSM opens various applications and greatly broadens the set of problems being addressed explicitly and directly through shape and place.