Guidelines for the use of Airborne Laser Scanning (Lidar) in Archaeology (EAC Guidelines 10)

Airborne Laser Scanning (sometimes referred to as lidar) has been described as revolutionary for the understanding and management of cultural landscapes. The ability to create highly accurate three dimensional (3D) models and visualise the topographic features that represent past human interaction with the land surface has undoubtedly changed our view of the world and our approach to heritage management. The use of airborne laser scanning (ALS) for cultural heritage management across Europe has increased greatly in the first two decades of the 21st century as data have become more widely available. While there is a growing expertise in the implementation of ALS derived visualisations for our discipline, it is clear from our survey of practitioners that this specialism is often represented by only a few experts scattered across a country. Specialist practitioners have facilitated knowledge exchange at training and networking via conferences and events such as the TRAIL (Training and Research in the Archaeological Interpretation of Lidar) meetings. However there have been few opportunities to capture the collective understanding of how to make the most of ALS for cultural heritage management that has developed over the last two decades. The aim of these guidelines, instigated by the European Archaeological Council (EAC), is to bring together for the first time a reference document that combines the experience of colleagues across Europe.  The guidelines have been designed fully collaboratively by an extensive network of cultural heritage professionals. The foundation was an online survey conducted in 2022 to which more than 100 individuals and organisations from across 30 countries responded, detailing the status quo and their needs and aspirations with respect to integrating ALS data into their work. Using the results of this baseline survey to define the requirements of the wider community, 49 co-authors worked together to design the structure and content of the guidelines, in doing so ensuring their relevance and impact. The development of the guidelines was undertaken entirely online in Autumn 2022 and Spring 2023, an approach that has paid dividends in the quality and relevance of the end product by facilitating the input of so many experts from across the continent.