A view from above but with a different perspective!
by Renier van der Merwe
Reconstructing past landscapes can be tricky, however there are different freely available applications that can make this process easier! Renier van der Merwe, MAEASaM Researcher based at Wits University in Johannesburg, South, demonstrates this using two different applications.
3D landscape models can be created from Digital Elevation Models (DEM) and combining them with multiband satellite imagery that can help us to visualise and interpret the interaction between features such as old settlements and the surrounding landscape. Multiband allows us to see the landscape beyond what we see with our eyes, such as infrared that illustrates the location and density of vegetation, a key marker for possible ancient human occupation. But there is also another way! It is possible to create a 3D landscape using Google Earth (as well as Bing, OSM and ESRI) and street map images to create a textured 3D mesh that can be used in any other 3D modelling or CAD software (as well as the 3D applications of software such as QGIS or ArcGIS). This process can be used for any part of the planet.
