• Detection of hunting systems and iron extraction sites
• Detection of burial mounds in forested land
• Detection of levelled burial mounds in agricultural land

Detection of hunting systems and iron extraction sites

The automatic method for detecting pit structures in airborne laser scanning (ALS) data has been used in several municipalities in Oppland County, Norway. The recommended ALS pulse density is 5/m², and was established in an experiment on 10/m² data.

In Øystre Slidre municipality, the automatic method was used in combination with visual inspection of the ALS data and field work for archaeological mapping of an area that had been zoned for development of mountain cottages. For a larger, neighboring area, prognosis mapping was done by combining the automatic method with visual inspection of the ALS data.

Example: Øystre Slidre municipality, iron extraction sites and pitfall traps from deer hunting. Red=inside zoning. Blue=larger prognosis mapping.

Detection of burial mounds in forested land

A previously unknown grave field in Larvik Municipality, Vestfold County, Norway. The grave field was detected
due to a large number of automatic heap detections (blue and cyan circles). Blue circles=automatic detections, confirmed as grave mounds by field work, and with correct geometry. Cyan circles= automatic detections, confirmed as grave mounds, but having incorrect geometry.
Red circles=manual surveying of grave mounds that were either missing or having incorrect geometry.

Detection of burial mounds in agricultural land

In 2009, the project acquired two new Quickbird images of parts of Vestfold County. In one of the images, CultSearcher was able to detect nine circular crop marks that the archaeologists labeled as valid detections. Of these,

• Three were already known or within known grave sites
• Two were previously unknown, and so evident from the image that they are recognized as grave sites
• Four need to be confirmed in the field

Two circular crop marks that were detected by CultSearcher. The southernmost is within an already known grave field, whereas the northernmost is previously unknown. Quickbird image of Larvik municipality, 24 July 2009.