Context
Lidar in the service of Archaeology

Lidar, an acronym for light detection and ranging, is an active laser-pulse remote sensing technique used in the atmospheric and terrestrial domains. On land, it is used in particular for three-dimensional topographic surveys of natural or built-up surfaces. It provides a precise description of these surfaces in the form of a georeferenced point cloud. There are two main modes of acquisition:

• or by a terrestrial station (TLS – terrestrial laser scanning );

• or an airborne laser scanning (ALS) system.

This article will focus on airborne systems for topographic applications.

These applications cover a wide range of fields: geology, seismology, public works, natural hazard monitoring, as well as archaeology, where lidar is used to detect and map sites and analyze ancient landscapes.

This article will focus on the use of airborne...