Archaeologists use drones to map sites in Peru

[bluedigger]

LIMA — In Peru, home to the spectacular Inca city of Machu Picchu and thousands of ancient ruins, archaeologists are turning to drones to speed up sluggish survey work and protect sites from squatters, builders and miners.

Remote-controlled aircraft were developed for military purposes and are a controversial tool in U.S. anti-terrorism campaigns, but the technology's falling price means it is increasingly used for civilian and commercial projects around the world.

Small drones have been helping a growing number of researchers produce three-dimensional models of Peruvian sites instead of the usual flat maps — and in days and weeks instead of months and years.

Speed is an important ally to archaeologists here. Peru's economy has grown at an average annual clip of 6.5 percent over the past decade, and development pressures have surpassed looting as the main threat to the country's cultural treasures, according to the government.

http://news.msn.com/science-technology/archaeologists-use-drones-to-map-sites-in-peru

[Judi Lynn]

1. More power to these peaceful drones. They are needed to prevent destruction

like that monstrous devastation of an ancient Peruvian pyramid by someone who wanted the land for commercial reasons.

He can NEVER repay his debt for that atrocity.

Every possible bit of good an UNARMED, non-threatening, non-spying drone can do is so welcome.

[bluedigger]

2. Absolutely.

There are a lot of good uses for drones, including mapping and remote sensing, and search and rescue (well, search, anyways). One of my friends has been experimenting with kites for aerial photography of paleo sites in Kenya.