Development of a low altitude airborne remote sensing system for supporting the processing of satellite remotely sensed data intended for archaeological investigations

Earth observation techniques intended for archaeological research, such as satellite images and ground geophysical surveys are well established in the literature. In contrast, low altitude airborne systems for supporting archaeological research are still very limited. The “ICAROS” project, funded by the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation, aims to develop an airborne system for archaeological investigations. The system will incorporate both a GER 1500 field spectroradiometer and NIR camera in a balloon system operated from the ground. The GER 1500 field spectroradiometer has the capability to record reflectance values from 400 nm up to 1050 nm (blue/green/red and NIR band). The Field of View (FOV) of the instrument is 4o while a calibrated spectralon panel will be used in order to minimize illumination errors during the data collection. Existing atmospheric conditions will be monitored using sun-photometer and meteorological station. The overall methodology of the project and the preliminary results from different cases studies in Cyprus are presented and discussed in this paper. Some practical problems are also discussed and the overall results are compared with satellite and ground measurements. Spectroradiometric measurements and NIR images will be taken from different heights from the balloon system. The results will be compared with different satellite images.

[1]  Penny Wilson.  Satellite Remote Sensing for Archaeology. By Sarah H. Parcak , 2010 .

[2]  R. Cavalli,et al.  Remote hyperspectral imagery as a support to archaeological prospection , 2007 .

[3]  A. Sarris,et al.  Detection of exposed and subsurface archaeological remains using multi-sensor remote sensing , 2007 .

[4]  Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis,et al.  Vegetation indices and field spectroradiometric measurements for validation of buried architectural remains: verification under area surveyed with geophysical campaigns , 2011 .

[5]  A. T. Mozas-Calvache,et al.  Method for photogrammetric surveying of archaeological sites with light aerial platforms , 2012 .

[6]  Takeshi Inomata,et al.  Evaluating the use of IKONOS satellite imagery in lowland Maya settlement archaeology , 2008 .

[7]  Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis,et al.  Observatory validation of Neolithic tells (“Magoules”) in the Thessalian plain, central Greece, using hyperspectral spectroradiometric data , 2012 .

[8]  Troy Jensen,et al.  Detecting the attributes of a wheat crop using digital imagery acquired from a low-altitude platform , 2007 .

[9]  R. Lasaponara,et al.  Detection of archaeological crop marks by using satellite QuickBird multispectral imagery , 2007 .

[10]  Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis,et al.  Towards an Archaeological Index: Identification of the Spectral Regions of Stress Vegetation due to Buried Archaeological Remains , 2012, EuroMed.

[11]  Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis,et al.  The Importance of Accounting for Atmospheric Effects in the Application of NDVI and Interpretation of Satellite Imagery Supporting Archaeological Research: The Case Studies of Palaepaphos and Nea Paphos Sites in Cyprus , 2011, Remote. Sens..

[12]  Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis,et al.  Precipitation effects on the selection of suitable non-variant targets intended for atmospheric correction of satellite remotely sensed imagery , 2013 .

[13]  R. Lasaponara,et al.  Investigating the spectral capability of QuickBird data to detect archaeological remains buried under vegetated and not vegetated areas , 2007 .

[14]  V. D. Laet,et al.  Methods for the extraction of archaeological features from very high-resolution Ikonos-2 remote sensing imagery, Hisar (southwest Turkey) , 2007 .

[15]  Margaret Brown Vega,et al.  Ground Truthing of Remotely Identified Fortifications on the Central Coast of Perú , 2011 .

[16]  R. Lasaponara,et al.  Satellite remote sensing in archaeology: past, present and future perspectives , 2011 .

[17]  Marco J. Giardino,et al.  A History of NASA Remote Sensing Contributions to Archaeology , 2013 .

[18]  A. Traviglia,et al.  Remote sensing applications and archaeological research in the Northern Lagoon of Venice: The case of the lost settlement of Constanciacus , 2011 .

[19]  J. Deroin,et al.  Evaluation of very high to medium resolution multispectral satellite imagery for geoarchaeology in arid regions – Case study from Jabali, Yemen , 2011 .

[20]  Apostolos Sarris,et al.  Detection of Neolithic Settlements in Thessaly (Greece) Through Multispectral and Hyperspectral Satellite Imagery , 2009, Sensors.