Light Detection and Ranging has transformed landscape archaeology — revealing mounds, causeways, platforms, and enclosures invisible to ground survey and conventional remote sensing. This page aggregates open-access LiDAR and digital elevation model (DEM) resources relevant to archaiology.org research areas.
The most research-focused LiDAR portal. Covers high-resolution point cloud datasets for the Americas, Europe, and selected global sites — plus global DEMs (SRTM, ALOS, Copernicus, NASADEM). Free API for programmatic access. Heavily used for Maya and mound site archaeology.
The USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is building nationwide LiDAR coverage of the contiguous US, Hawaii, and territories at 1m resolution. Critical for Southeastern and Midwestern mound site research — Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Wisconsin, and future states in the Gregory Little mound inventory all fall under 3DEP coverage.
The European Space Agency's global DEM derived from TanDEM-X radar data. GLO-30 (30m) covers the globe; GLO-90 (90m) is freely available without registration. Best global coverage for Mediterranean, Near East, and Anatolian sites. The go-to elevation baseline for archaiology.org's Old World research areas.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's global 30m DEM, derived from 3 million ALOS PRISM stereo scenes. AW3D30 is freely available and well-regarded for accuracy in tropical and mid-latitude regions — good coverage for Mesoamerican, Mediterranean, and Asian sites. The 5m commercial version offers finer resolution for targeted areas.
Mexico's national statistics and geography institute has been acquiring LiDAR coverage of Mexican territory since 2010, including the Yucatán Peninsula, Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Veracruz — all core Maya and Mesoamerican research zones. Free download via their geoportal. Directly relevant to archaiology.org's Maya inscriptions and ballcourt datasets.
| Dataset | Resolution | Coverage | LiDAR | DEM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGS 3DEP (via OT) | 1m | United States | ✓ | ✓ |
| SRTM GL1 | 30m | Global (60°N–56°S) | — | ✓ |
| NASADEM | 30m | Global | — | ✓ |
| ALOS World 3D | 30m | Global | — | ✓ |
| Copernicus GLO-30 | 30m | Global | — | ✓ |
| Community datasets | Variable | Site-specific | ✓ | ~ |
LiDAR — Light Detection and Ranging — is an active remote sensing technique that fires rapid laser pulses at the ground and measures the return time to calculate precise distance. Mounted on aircraft or drones, a single survey flight can generate hundreds of millions of elevation measurements, producing point clouds of extraordinary density and accuracy.
The archaeological value of LiDAR lies in its ability to penetrate forest canopy. In tropical and temperate woodland environments, the laser's multiple return pulses distinguish canopy surface from bare earth — revealing terrain features masked by vegetation for centuries. Platforms, mounds, causeways, field systems, and enclosures emerge as unmistakable signatures in the bare-earth DEM.
The most celebrated archaeological LiDAR campaigns include the 2018 PACUNAM survey that revealed 60,000+ previously unknown Maya structures beneath the Guatemalan forest, and the ongoing LiDAR surveys of Amazonian geoglyphs. In North America, 3DEP data has transformed understanding of Mississippian mound complexes, identifying previously unknown structures adjacent to well-studied sites.
archaiology.org's Native American mound site datasets currently cover Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Wisconsin — all states with substantial USGS 3DEP coverage. LiDAR has been the single most transformative technology for earthwork archaeology in the past decade, enabling researchers to identify low-relief mounds, enclosures, and associated features invisible in conventional survey.
The upcoming integration of Gregory Little's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native American Mounds & Earthworks (3rd ed.) will substantially expand the site inventory. For each site, USGS 3DEP provides the primary elevation reference; OpenTopography hosts curated point-cloud collections for key Mississippian and Woodland period complexes.
Chase et al. (2011) — "Airborne LiDAR, archaeology, and the ancient Maya landscape at Caracol, Belize." Journal of Archaeological Science. Pioneering application of LiDAR to Maya archaeology.
Canuto et al. (2018) — "Ancient lowland Maya complexity as revealed by airborne laser scanning of northern Guatemala." Science. The PACUNAM survey; 2,144 km² revealing 60,000+ structures.
Thompson et al. (2020) — "Airborne laser scanning in archaeology: Aims, potential and future directions." Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory. Comprehensive methodological review.
Little, Gregory L. — Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native American Mounds & Earthworks, 3rd ed. (forthcoming integration). The most comprehensive print inventory of North American earthwork sites.