A Decade of Expertise in Aerial Archaeology from Satellite to Drone: Exploring Spain and Beyond the Mediterranean
Researcher:
Angás Pajas, Jorge
Congress:
4th International Conference of Aerial Archaeology
Participation type:
Comunicación oral
Other authors:
Jorge Angás*, Paula Uribe**, Cristian Iranzo**, Carlos Valladares**, Lara Íñiguez**, Enrique Ariño***, José Ángel Asensio****, Milagros Navarro****, Verónica Martínez*****, Josep María Gurt*****, Mª Ángeles Magallón**
Year:
2025
Location:
Rome
The use of data from satellite platforms for archaeological prospecting and remote sensing has been systematically applied since the late 20th century. However, the introduction of drones, particularly from 2007 onwards, equipped with various visible and multispectral sensors for small areas, has in some cases partially replaced the use of satellite imagery due to their higher spatial resolution and agility in data collection. Nonetheless, the importance of combining and comparing historical aerial photo archives, satellite data, and drone imagery remains essential for understanding the transformations of the archaeological landscape over nearly the last 100 years. This diachronic combination of different spatial and spectral resolutions is essential for understanding the changes that have occurred in the landscape due to agricultural transformations, infrastructure construction, and urban growth in relation to existing archaeological sites and their interpretation in a particular area. In this way, cross-referenced strategies can also be developed using historical sources for specific archaeological sites. In this paper, we evaluate our expertise over the past decade by applying various strategies that combine and automate processes in several archaeological sites using historical aerial imagery since the 1920s, photographic reconnaissance from the CORONA (1960-1972) and HEXAGON (1971-1986) satellite programs—declassified since 1995 and 2011, respectively—and the commercial WorldView-3 (WV3) satellite (2014). All of this is compared with visible, multispectral, and thermal imagery from drones, as well as the use of different types of spectral indices. In this context, we will present several case studies from archaeological sites in Spain (DiGHER Project, CPP2022-009631 funded by MCIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and «NextGenerationEU»/PRTR»), particularly focusing on the use of the earliest photogrammetric flights conducted by Ruíz de Alda in 1927 over the Middle Ebro Valley, and their combination and comparison with other types of aerial data and drone imagery for uncovering buried archaeological structures. Similarly, we will discuss several archaeological examples from Central Asia and the use of limited aerial data to establish archaeological criteria that assist in ground-based archaeological prospecting and verify the so-called “ground truth”. In conclusion, this paper aims to address our experiences, both successes and challenges, over the last ten years in aerial archaeology from a multitemporal, multispatial, and multispectral perspective across different geographical contexts.
The use of data from satellite platforms for archaeological prospecting and remote sensing has been systematically applied since the late 20th century. However, the introduction of drones, particularly from 2007 onwards, equipped with various visible and multispectral sensors for small areas, has in some cases partially replaced the use of satellite imagery due to their higher spatial resolution and agility in data collection. Nonetheless, the importance of combining and comparing historical aerial photo archives, satellite data, and drone imagery remains essential for understanding the transformations of the archaeological landscape over nearly the last 100 years. This diachronic combination of different spatial and spectral resolutions is essential for understanding the changes that have occurred in the landscape due to agricultural transformations, infrastructure construction, and urban growth in relation to existing archaeological sites and their interpretation in a particular area. In this way, cross-referenced strategies can also be developed using historical sources for specific archaeological sites. In this paper, we evaluate our expertise over the past decade by applying various strategies that combine and automate processes in several archaeological sites using historical aerial imagery since the 1920s, photographic reconnaissance from the CORONA (1960-1972) and HEXAGON (1971-1986) satellite programs—declassified since 1995 and 2011, respectively—and the commercial WorldView-3 (WV3) satellite (2014). All of this is compared with visible, multispectral, and thermal imagery from drones, as well as the use of different types of spectral indices. In this context, we will present several case studies from archaeological sites in Spain (DiGHER Project, CPP2022-009631 funded by MCIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and «NextGenerationEU»/PRTR»), particularly focusing on the use of the earliest photogrammetric flights conducted by Ruíz de Alda in 1927 over the Middle Ebro Valley, and their combination and comparison with other types of aerial data and drone imagery for uncovering buried archaeological structures. Similarly, we will discuss several archaeological examples from Central Asia and the use of limited aerial data to establish archaeological criteria that assist in ground-based archaeological prospecting and verify the so-called “ground truth”. In conclusion, this paper aims to address our experiences, both successes and challenges, over the last ten years in aerial archaeology from a multitemporal, multispatial, and multispectral perspective across different geographical contexts.