Aerial Lidar in the Archaeological Reconnaissance and Mapping Of Civil War Earthen Fortifications

American Civil War earthwork fortifications have the potential to provide researchers and the public a glimpse into the battles and strategies employed by Union and Confederate forces in throughout the conflict. With the ever increasing threat of losing these sites, the need to quickly and efficiently locate and map these fortifications is paramount. Airborne LiDAR, Light Detection and Ranging, scanning provides researchers with the unique opportunity to remotely visualize topographic data under forested areas. Starting in the mid 1900’s state and federal agencies began collecting this data and making it freely available to the public. This research seeks to explore the possibility of employing this data as a means of locating fortifications and mapping their associated features using a GIS process that can be easily adopted by a broad user base with minimal GIS skills