Archeological map production by terrestrial laser scanning technology: Problems and solution

For centuries, linear surveys have been made with rulers, theodolites and plumb lines. Even the Roman waterways owned their smooth and accurate slopes to these equipments. In the modern era, new devices such as total station as well as Global Positioning System (GPS), which allow more precise surveying, were introduced. However, the traditional geodetic measurement methods fail in providing an object's geometric and visual data in a short period of time. Thus, techniques that enable highly accurate and 3-dimensional surveying of object geometry are required. To this end, in late 1990s and early 2000s, terrestrial laser scanning was developed. With this technique, it is possible to survey remote or dangerous surfaces and acquire detailed, 3D geometric and visual data regarding the surveyed object. In this dissertation, the use of terrestrial laser scanning in the production of archeological maps, the problems encountered during this production are discussed. Also, suggestions are made to overcome these problems.