BLM sets new trend in ruins research

The BLM is at the forefront of a new trend in archeological research that uses digital photography combined with a modern desktop computer. Called close–range photogrammetry, the technology uses overlapping digital photos and advanced software to create the most accurate 3D computer models of artifacts and ruins ever recorded. A new pilot program spearheaded by the BLM National Operations Center is using Canyons of the Ancients National Monument as a testing ground for photogrammetry, and the results are promising. Vince MacMillan, CANM archaeologist, has been experimenting with the process on museum pieces at the Anasazi Heritage Center, and in the field to analyze the condition of at-risk ruins on the monument. “We’re able to build 3D photographic models with accuracy down to less than a millimeter, about the size of a grain of sand,” he said during a demonstration of the technique. “The scale of the technology is amazing, and there are many uses for monument management and public education.” As an educational tool, there are many advantages. The super-accurate 3-D images of ruins can be rotated to view from any perspective. They can be e-mailed to Native American tribes for input during the consultation process. Sharing the images with universities, high-school classrooms, and researchers will be much easier as well. An 800-year-old vessel can be intensely studied on a screen, without fear of dropping it. Museums can show hyper-accurate digital displays of remote, fragile structures on the monument, allowing public access without the risk of over-visitation...more