Using UAV Photogrammetric Technique for Monitoring, Change Detection, and Analysis of Archeological Excavation Sites

Abstract

The shrinkage of the sensors installed in unmanned aerial vehicles and the increase in data quality have provided great advantages to UAV users, especially in analysis and interpretation works. Archaeologists, in particular, can take full advantage of new opportunities to research and identify objects and artifacts, using remote sensing methods, by studying the past at excavation sites using modern technologies such as UAVs. These methods enable researchers to discover objects on the ground with the help of sensors. This study includes the UAV monitoring, documentation, and analyses of the excavation works that took place in 2014 (phase 1), 2017 (phase 2- phase 3), and 2020 (phase 4) at the Ancient Theatre of Uzuncaburç built in the Roman Empire. For this purpose, photos were taken with the UAV for each phase, and measurements were made from the excavation site's points with precision gauges (total-station and GNSS). 3D point cloud, orthophoto map, Digital Elevation Model (DEM) map, and 3D models of each phase were produced with the taken pictures. Since UAV photogrammetry was used in this study, each excavation phase was recorded precisely. This, unlike classical documentation techniques, enabled the deformations in the excavation areas to be revealed. The 3D position accuracy calculated for the control point (ChP) used in the four excavation phases ranges from 5.8 mm to 33.5 mm. The most important feature of this study is the sensitive examination of the changes in the excavation area for many years with the UAV photogrammetry technique. At the end of the study, the excavation phases and the determination of the deformation points in the excavation area were recorded digitally.