Forensic Archaeological Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analysis

Abstract

Forensic archaeological geospatial analysis can contribute significantly to searches for people who are missing, presumed murdered, and investigations for other buried or concealed items. This sub-specialism of archaeology is an extremely wide-ranging and multi-faceted sphere of study and practice that can incorporate numerous techniques and types of data, and as a result, individual aspects of this approach are often treated in isolation. This can present a fragmented impression that implies that each remote sensing technique or spatial analytical approach can stand alone as a self-contained system. This chapter discusses how such techniques are most effective when combined as a suite of approaches and applied within a fully integrated system. Suggestions for how we might begin to establish guidelines for best practice at a time of conspicuous growth in technologies and data types are also discussed. This provides a context for the summarised examination of two specific approaches within forensic archaeological geospatial analysis: firstly, the capture and analysis of LiDAR data and secondly, the use of red, amber, green (RAG) mapping. LiDAR data is ubiquitous in many conventional archaeological studies, but the capacity to capture this data using unmanned aerial vehicles presents us with the potential to produce data of a quality that is suitable for forensic archaeological purposes. Red, amber, and green (RAG) classifications of soil diggability are used as a search tool in forensic geology. This chapter suggests moving away entirely from the use of RAG mapping as a tool to define prioritised search areas and towards its use as part of human-centred landscape analyses once prioritised search areas have been defined.