Using Aerial Imagery for Desk Based Research – Abstract & Video
The following paper was presented at the New Forest Knowledge Conference 2017 entitled: New Forest Historical Research and Archaeology: who’s doing it? Below you will find the abstract of the paper and a video of the paper given if permission to film it was given by the speaker.
Speaker:
Jack Powell, Aerial Imagery Analyst, Air Photo Services
Abstract
Aerial photography for use in archaeology took off from the 1930s onwards with pioneers such as O G S Crawford and St Joseph photographing archaeological sites across the country. Presently Air photos are utilised alongside other aerial imagery data sets, such as Lidar, as key resources for the mitigation of archaeological sites and features ahead of large scale infrastructure projects, housing developments and research. The types of air photos consulted ahead of these works are oblique air photos (photos taken at an angle with the site of interest in the centre of the photo) and vertical photos (taken from a high altitude usually as part of mapping surveys rather than archaeological prospection). The data from these photographs are mapped and processed into GIS (Geographical Information Systems) data which is used to inform research, surveys and reports. Using selected examples from across the country, including the New Forest, this talk will aim to inform about the different types of air photos, how archaeology is represented on aerial photographs, where to access them and how they can be incorporated into an archaeological project.
Air Photo Services is a leading UK provider of specialist independent interpretation of aerial imagery for heritage, planning, environmental and legal applications. Working nationally and internationally we provide detailed expert interpretation and mapping from modern and historical aerial photographs, satellite and Airborne Laser Scan (ALS, also known as Lidar) imagery.