Laser images hint at archaeological discoveries
If you do not know about LiDAR check out this brief overview. It is a remote sensing method that is often used during canopy and bare earth studies. If you saw that show on the History Channel about what Manhattan looked like when white settlers arrived, they used LiDAR to create the 3D image of the island without the buildings.
Using LiDAR for archaeology is something I have been looking forward to since the technology first came out. Having the option to fly a survey area and process out a detailed 3D image would be a real benefit for academic or cultural resource management studies. Knowing where hazardous land forms are before you leave the office is always good. Being able to determine if there are features would allow researchers to prioritize their study. For academic projects they would be able to pinpoint their study area. For cultural resource management projects they would be able to start with areas that are going to be directly impacted and then move on to the areas that would be visually impacted. Having spatial data before teams even set foot in a project area would reduce the amount of time needed to find the resources and more time to record and interpret them.
Before I get blasted for suggesting that we ignore all of the current archaeological practices in lieu of new technology, let me say that I am not saying that. I am merely suggesting that we use the available tools to make our jobs easier and more efficient. The economy is still down and as government funds drop out for archaeology and historic preservation we will see these cultural resources (important, local, irreplaceable) fall apart or be torn down by development.