Abstract:
Remote sensing techniques for the management of cultural heritage sites in Afghanistan
have been applied successfully in recent years because the security situation
at the ground does not allow activities in the field. Advanced remote sensing
technologies were used to generate elevation data from high-resolution satellite
stereo-imagery of the Ikonos sensor for the generation of accurate topographic
maps. Additional very high-resolution imagery of the WorldView-2 sensor was
used to produce orthorectified image maps that facilitate local site management.
Terrestrial measurements from previous field surveys were used for image geo-referencing
and validation of the DEM from the stereo-imagery. Elevation points
were derived in a semi-automatic process and adjusted by stereo-inspection
through a human operator. Contour lines and shaded relief maps are created in
the next step to be combined with findings from previous archaeological surveys.
The superposition of all available information indicates that the existing boundaries
of the World Heritage property and buffer zone are to be adjusted. The resulting
maps serve as a planning base for future development activities, such as the
enforcement of the river embankment to protect the minaret from flooding. The
analytical data also serve for future numerical studies of the flooding regime at this
particular place. It is argued that all data and cartographic products are required in
such complicated cases with access restrictions for intensive fieldwork and should
be considered in similar cases by researchers and planners. All activities form part
of the international efforts to establish a protection scheme supporting the longterm
management and the preservation of the World Heritage property.
Remote Sensing