Remote Sensing Technology for Archeological Studies

For the first time, remote sensing techniques have been employed in Iran to study and identify archeological sites and cemeteries in the warzones of Ilam and Kermanshah provinces.

Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object through the use of satellite or aircraft-based sensor technologies.

The remote sensing archeological survey in Kermanshah and Ilam, known as the tropical scheme, is aimed at investigating warzones in the two western provinces, ISNA reported.

Hayyan Jabbarzadeh, chairman of the board overseeing the scheme, said remote sensing technology is effective for overcoming difficulties in surveying warzones, “through which an archeologist gets to examine, identify and analyze all residential sites and cemeteries of a region without having a physical presence”.

Besides ensuring the safety of scientists, remote sensing is an effective way for the identification of buried objects with no surface markers, areas enclosed under the canopy of forest trees and dense plants, and ancient sites impossible to see with the naked eye from the surface of the earth.

“It is also a great help in compensating the budget deficit and an efficient replacement for the time-consuming traditional methods of on-site observation,” he added.

Jabbarzadeh reiterated the importance of using remote sensing technology in finding meaningful relations between ancient structures and their environment, managing archeological sites on the verge of destruction, modeling locations with high potential of hosting ancient sites, estimating damage in affected sites and identifying threats from either natural disasters or construction projects around them.

Geographic information system, a computer-based tool for mapping and analyzing feature events on earth, is also used in the project along with remote sensing.