Archaeoscape

The Archaeoscape programme is a new research initiative funded by a €2.75 million grant from the European Union, under the European Research Council's Consolidator Grant programme. It will run from 2020 to 2025 and will be conducted in close collaboration with international researchers and institutional partners.

This project will provide a new understanding of the impact of humans, past and present, in tropical environments.

To achieve this, Archaeoscape will draw on the unique experience of the École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO) in using LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology in Cambodia. The aim is to extend the applications of this technology to the whole of Southeast Asia by developing new techniques for data analysis and dissemination using state-of-the-art geo-spatial and computer surveys to develop automated recognition. This project will take full advantage of the rich ecological and archaeological information provided by LIDAR point cloud interpretation. This will provide an understanding of how the historical legacy has shaped contemporary environments. The data and results will be made available on open portals to make them accessible.

Archaeoscape Project scientific leader: Damian Evans