Awe calls LiDAR 鈥淕od鈥檚 gift to the tropical archaeologist,鈥� because the light detection radar captured from a plane records detailed images of the landscape or buildings. 鈥淚n areas of really thick jungle, where it would be costly and time-consuming to go and try to locate ancient sites, now you can see them,鈥� Awe said.
Before coming to NAU this past fall, Awe spent the past 14 years in Belize. He served as director for that country鈥檚 Institute of Archaeology, where a private grant covered the $350,000 cost of the LiDAR survey. A smaller NAU faculty grant will help Awe and three graduate students return to Belize this summer to continue research on the Maya鈥檚 archaeological sites.
One of Awe鈥檚 goals this summer is ground-truthing, which he describes as 鈥減hysically observing and confirming features identified by LIDAR and recording them using conventional survey methods.鈥�
Modern-day researchers can learn a lot from the Maya in Belize who numbered near one million in 600 A.D., three times the country鈥檚 present day population. By analyzing formerly undiscovered sites, scientists could learn more about agricultural methods used to sustain its larger population and how the civilization was affected by drought, which is believed to have contributed to the Maya鈥檚 demise. Awe also is interested in studying an area where the Maya constructed an extensive canal system to manage flooding.
Additionally, Awe plans to employ and collaborate with modern descendants of the ancient Maya and engage them in cultural heritage research in Belize. Awe and one of his graduate students will also work with the Belize government who is interested in preserving and developing archaeological sites for tourism.
Many of the opportunities available to Awe and his students at NAU are the result of LiDAR technology. 鈥淚n only a few parts of the world do we have archaeologists who are able to acquire this kind of data, so in a big way, it is putting us at the cutting edge of research in archaeology,鈥� Awe said.
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