| Abstract [eng] |
LiDAR data and its application using GIS technology are becoming more and more relevant for archaeological research at various scales, and are often the key to a number of new discoveries of both local and global significance. Such methods are essential for the study of remote, forested or less accessible areas. This study focuses on the research of the Lithuanian Partisan Resistance heritage sites – partisan bunkers (hideouts). As more and more time has passed since the end of the Lithuanian guerrilla war in the middle of the last century, there are fewer contemporaries from that period who can identify the important sites and objects of the partisan war, thus there is a need for alternative methods that can effectively ensure the continuity of the research on such sites. One of these is the use of LiDAR data in synthesis with various historical records. The aim of the study is to develop a methodology for the application of LiDAR data for the search of the heritage sites of partisan warfare. The research methodology includes: analysis of the morphometric characteristics and structural features, which may be reflected in the relief of the land surface, of the already known partisan heritage objects - bunkers, which are registered in the Register of Cultural Property; processing of LiDAR data of the territory identified from archival cartographic material, creation, visualization and visual analysis of the digital terrain models of the territory, the initial results of which were verified in situ; analysis of the characteristics of the LiDAR data used in the study that may have an impact on the identification of partisan heritage sites; visualization and publication of the results of the study by creating a web map. The study utilized CloudCompare, QGIS and QField software for data preparation, collection and analysis, and ArcGIS Online Map Viewer and Story Map environments for publishing the results. In the framework of the research, following the georeferencing of historical cartographic material contained in the archival KGB file, a point layer of preliminary bunker locations according to the chart was created, and based on the location of the objects in this layer, digital terrain models, the size of the grid of which is 0.25 × 0.25 meters, covering an area of 28 square kilometers were created. Relief models were visualized by applying hillshading and selecting the appropriate colour gradient of the relief model for use in the analysis. A detailed visual analysis of the terrain models at a large scale resulted in the identification of 41 potential bunker locations. The results of this analysis were verified in situ to determine their correspondence to the historical partisan heritage – during the expeditions, 21 objects with the characteristics of a partisan bunker were identified (3 of which have very distinct characteristics and can be classified as proper bunkers). The analysis of the LiDAR data used in the study and the comparison of the results with the data collected during the in situ survey showed a possible correlation between the number of points representing the ground surface and the potential for detecting objects identified by visual analysis in the area. Lastly, a publicly accessible interactive online map has been created to publish the data and results of the research. The data compiled by the study can be accessed online at: https://vu-lt.maps.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=0a41d3045244449c9c559edb6777114d. |
