Topografía de vanguardia en los levantamientos de yacimientos megalíticos. Estrategias para el conocimiento. Métodos.

Abstract

Both on-site data-collection surveying technologies and the new possibilities of graphical and cartographical techniques, currently allow us to obtain products that far exceed the traditional topographic maps and detailed representations of the graphical drawings that document the archaeological sites.
This paper aims to show, through concrete examples, the advantages of combining the use of different state-of-the-art technologies to achieve a graphic documentation in line with current demands, which logically are increasing due to technological advances as well.
In this way, different instruments have been used to carry out the field work: a high-definition laser scanner for massive data capture, a RTK GPS for the georeferencing the base points of the surveying, a laser total station to reference the point clouds to the UTM system and UAV devices, with a high resolution digital camera on board, to capture textures. In the office work state-of-the-art software has been used in order to perform the registration of different scans, application of textures to the point cloud, surface modelling and obtain various graphic products.
The quality of the products obtained enables archaeologists to achieve an archaeological analysis much more comprehensive than using a traditional documentation; last but not least, it is the speed of the fieldwork performance, the true potential of new technologies in the archaeological sites.