Stephen Rector, "A Low Cost UAV LiDAR System for Application at Archaeological Sites in Anatolia"
My Honors thesis project seeks to build a low-cost, drone based LiDAR system for testing in archaeological field work by leveraging the open-source OpenMMS (Open Mobile Mapping System) software coupled with off-the-shelf GPS modules and an intertial measurement unit.
LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) point cloud data is becoming increasingly important in archaeological field work. Used to develop digital elevation models (DEM) and digital surface models (DSM) it has applications in archaeological prospection, site survey, and cultural heritage monitoring to name a few. Traditionally, however, regional LiDAR surveys are very expensive. My Honors thesis project seeks to build a low-cost, drone based LiDAR system for testing in archaeological field work by leveraging the open-source OpenMMS (Open Mobile Mapping System) software coupled with off-the-shelf GPS modules and an intertial measurement unit. I am hoping to test the device at the archaeological site of Antiochia ad Cragum in south central Turkey in summer 2022.
Steve's work on this project was acknowledged as part of KU's 2021 Undergraduate Research Symposium.
