Case Study of a Korean Archaeological Survey using LiDAR

Abstract

Among the international community of archaeologists, a number of studies have been reported on applied LiDAR technique for archaeological research with findings of significant implications. However, there have been few reports on archaeological studies using LiDAR in South Korea. Although there were studies of reconstruction and restoration of damaged mountain fortress walls or past topographic features using aerial archeology, there have been no tangible research outcomes using LiDAR to date.Archaeological research with LiDAR technology allows for the identification of the shapes of remains or relics located in remote places or in the middle of a deep forest. In particular, the advantage of LiDAR data that allows observation of specific objects such as buildings on the ground in a physical environment even in the presence of various shapes of natural and artificial obstacles is a useful feature that can be effectively exploited considering the topographical characteristics of South Korea where 75% of the nation’s land area is covered by mountains. When considering the topographical characteristics of South Korea, where 75% of the nation’s land area is covered by mountains, LiDAR can be of particular use since it allows for the observation of specific objects such as building on the ground in a physical environment, even in the presence of various natural and artificial obstacles.However, remote sensing technologies including LiDAR have not been widely implemented in Korean archeological research. Remote sensing technology, which assures the scientific and objective basis of research, is still an unfamiliar field for many Korean archeologists.With this background, we conducted a pilot study using LiDAR. Remote was performed by applying a range of image visualization techniques based on LiDAR data acquired from around the Seseong Mountain Fortress. Various filters for visualization were applied to the results of our analysis to verify the representation of a detailed expression of the natural topography or artificial objects.In recent trends, remote sensing technology is actively applied in the global archaeological community through an integration with satellite imagery or AI technology. It is expected that the utilization of these technologies will enable archaeological surveys in remote and isolated areas such as the DMZ or North Korea.