Field school taught me trowel technique, but a 3D scan app taught me more in 2 weeks

I spent 6 weeks at a dig in New Mexico learning how to carefully expose a wall foundation with a trowel and brush. Great experience, honestly. But when I got home I tried one of those photogrammetry apps on a test trench I dug in my backyard just for fun. The 3D model showed me subtle changes in soil color and layer boundaries I completely missed while I was down in the dirt. Trowel work is still essential for the actual digging, but for understanding the site layout afterward, the scan wins. Has anyone else used photogrammetry for their own site records, or is it still seen as a gimmick at your digs?

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oscarw8321d ago

Did you find the scan showed stuff that made you feel like you'd been looking with your eyes closed the whole time? Because that was my exact reaction. I spent years thinking photogrammetry was just for making pretty pictures for grant proposals, not for actual analysis. But then I did a scan of a test unit and saw a whole drainage feature that I walked right over during excavation. It honestly embarrassed me a little, realizing how much context I was missing while focused on the trowel work. Now I scan every unit before I backfill, even if it's just with my phone on a stick. It doesn't replace digging, but it sure makes the digging smarter.