Description

LiDAR point clouds, published by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) 3D Elevation Program, are being increasingly used by archaeologists to identify and document ancestral communities and features at a landscape scale. Since 2021, the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center has applied GIS visualizations derived from LiDAR point clouds to refine how we identify and define ancestral communities, social networks, and changes in social structures through time and space. This work has also prompted conversations around appropriate uses of LiDAR data on ancestral lands by non-tribal entities and the intersections between these large data sets and Indigenous Data Governance. This presentation is going to provide an overview of LiDAR and visualization methods, outline how LiDAR articulates with Crow Canyon’s existing body of data so far, and examine how geospatial data fits into Indigenous Data Governance.