Mapping Caracol's Classic Maya urban landscape with LIDAR

The New York Times reports on important advances in Maya archaeology. Arlen and Diane Chase, anthropologists at the University of Central Florida, used LIDAR to map the area of the Classic Maya city Caracol in Belize.

Using this technology they mapped the topography of 80 square miles, showing the presence of ruins, causeways, and agricultural terracing, among others. These remains are covered by jungle vegetation, but the Airborne Laser Terrain Mapper's laser pulses were able to reach the ground and reflect back to the airplane's instruments. Processing this data resulted in detailed imagery showing that at least 70 square miles of the area formed part of the urban complex.

The approach was designed by biologist Weishampel who has been using it to study vegetation. The archaeological mapping was carried out in a project funded by NASA's Space Archaeology (i.e. remote sensing) program. More details on the project can be found on the Caracol Archaeological Project website.

The NYT article mentions possibilities for the use of this and similar technologies in other parts of the world, such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I'm wondering about South American tropical forests. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon regularly reveals stunning signs of human civilizations, such as the 'geoglyph culture'. Imagine what remains hidden...