The CORONA Atlas Project: Orthorectification of CORONA Satellite Imagery and Regional-Scale Archaeological Exploration in the Near East

Declassified, Cold War-era CORONA satellite images have proven to be a critical tool in archaeology of the Near East and elsewhere, primarily because they preserve a picture of sites and landscapes that predates recent agricultural, industrial and urban development. However, unprocessed CORONA images contain extreme spatial distortions caused by a cross-path panoramic scanning system, and the absence of detailed orientation and camera information makes correction of these errors highly challenging, resulting in small-scale, piecemeal application of this resource. This chapter overviews our methods for efficient orthorectification of KH-4A and KH-4B CORONA imagery and our development of a freely accessible online database for viewing and distribution of corrected images. We also highlight our efforts to deploy regional-scale CORONA coverage to facilitate the discovery and documentation of archaeological landscapes from across the Northern Fertile Crescent.

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