Applications of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) in Archaeology
Abstract
The advancement of remote sensing technology and the analysing capability of Geographical Information System (GIS) can very well be used in the science of Archaeology. Though these subjects look apart, they can be studied in conjunction with each other. The applications of remote sensing are vast and the field of archaeology need not be left out in that. These techniques contribute to explore and understand the past. The improvement in the spatial and radiometric resolution helps in demarcating the sites of archeological importance and GIS helps to analyze with utmost accurate quantitative information. Mapping of geomorphological features, palaeo-channels, shift of shorelines, changes in the topographical features, identifying the potential archeological site from the spectral signatures are promising to use the latest remote sensing technology for the historic subject. In addition to the image interpretation techniques, vegetation marks, anomalous landforms, shifting of river mouths, palaeo coastlines help the archeologists for supporting their hypothesis. Synoptic coverage of images provides an opportunity to link it with historic evidences in a larger scale. Earlier archeological studies at Dwarka, Poompuhar, Tranqubar, Hampi etc used remote sensing and GIS. In this study, the power of remote sensing and GIS at the archeological studies at Gujarat and Tamilnadu will be described. The possibility of linking of Gulf of Kutch and Gulf of Khambhat in the past is explained with the support of digital elevation model from remote sensing data. The historic Adam's bridge and the mapping of it through remote sensing are also explained. This paper introduces remote sensing capability to Archeologists which can be used for their archeological explorations
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