A convenient archaeological ruins identification method through elevation information extraction from CORONA stereo pairs

A novel method for identifying archaeological ruins using elevation data extracted from CORONA stereo pairs has proven effective at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Liangzhu City. By processing 1960s and 1970s CORONA remote-sensing images into a 3D optical stereo model, researchers could overlay these on mobile devices to pinpoint ruins in real-time during field surveys. The approach successfully identified Liangzhu-period dams and was later validated at the mausoleums of the Southern Song dynasty emperors, demonstrating its reliability for large-scale archaeological site mapping. This technique offers a cost-effective, scalable solution for preserving and studying heritage sites without extensive on-site excavation.

Zhang, Y., Wang, N., He, J., Zhang, T., Zhang, X., & Luo, H. (2024). A convenient archaeological ruins identification method through elevation information extraction from CORONA stereo pairs. Heritage Science, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-024-01427-7