From low cost UAV survey to high resolution topographic data : developing our understanding of a Medieval outport of Bruges

This paper assesses the application of a consumer-grade unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) solution for the image-based three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of a buried Medieval landscape at Monnikerede, a deserted former outport of Bruges, with the archaeological aim to achieve a better characterization of the (micro)topography and ultimately a better understanding of the site. The UAV survey resulted in a highly detailed and accurate 3D model of the terrain, allowing a thorough topographic analysis of the complex archaeological landscape. Application of algorithms to produce an enhanced visualization of the topographic variability led to a sequence of derivatives each highlighting the topography in a different way. Additionally a decorrelation stretch was applied on the collected imagery, thereby generating enhanced orthophotos producing another view on the archaeological landscape. Integrating the (enhanced) orthophoto(s) with the digital surface model (DSM) and derivatives to conduct a thorough analysis of the archaeological landscape resulted in the detection and identification of new archaeological features and the formulation of new insights in the layout of this important Medieval outport. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.