LiDAR Technology Supports Discovery of Largest and Oldest Maya Structure in Mexico

Apart from assisting autonomous driving technology, LiDAR technology is also helping archaeologists to unveil the long covered structures from ancient times with its penetration feature. A research team recently discovered the largest and oldest Mayan monument via LiDAR technology and published their findings in Nature.

The team use LiDAR from an airplane to find the monument under the authorization of the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico. Laser beams penetrate the tree canopy and reveal the three-dimensional forms of archaeological features with the reflections. The team then excavated the site and determine that it was constructed sometime between 1,000 to 800 B.C. with radiocarbon-dated 69, making it the oldest Mayan structure. So far, the recorded existing site in Maya was built in 950 B.C.


(LiDAR image of the site: Inomata et al. 2020)

"Using low-resolution LiDAR collected by the Mexican government, we noticed this huge platform. Then we did high-resolution LiDAR and confirmed the presence of a big building," said Takeshi Inomata, professors at University of Arizona.

Inomata and his team will continue a broader LiDAR analysis of the area. They want to gather information about surrounding sites to understand how they interacted with the Olmec and the Maya.

Disclaimers of Warranties
1. The website does not warrant the following:
1.1 The services from the website meets your requirement;
1.2 The accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the service;
1.3 The accuracy, reliability of conclusions drawn from using the service;
1.4 The accuracy, completeness, or timeliness, or security of any information that you download from the website
2. The services provided by the website is intended for your reference only. The website shall be not be responsible for investment decisions, damages, or other losses resulting from use of the website or the information contained therein<
Proprietary Rights
You may not reproduce, modify, create derivative works from, display, perform, publish, distribute, disseminate, broadcast or circulate to any third party, any materials contained on the services without the express prior written consent of the website or its legal owner.
Display devices have been used for many years as a means of HMI (Human Machine Interface) to connect humans and machines interactively, and their usage are still expanding. Automotive interiors are no exception to this trend, with an increasing ... READ MORE
About LiDAR Automotive industry trends In recent years, many vehicles have been launched with ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) as standard equipment. As the future evolves towards more automated driving, sensing around the vehicle i... READ MORE