Archaeology from space: Applications of satellite remote sensing to past- and future-facing archaeological Issues

Satellite remote sensing is widely implemented in environmental science, geology, and more recently, in archaeological research. This is largely due to its efficiency in data collection and analyses at regional scales. Questions of human-environment interaction animate research within and across these fields with spectroscopy being a commonly employed technique. In this presentation, I will detail two applications of remote sensing—one focused on strategies for raw material procurement of prehistoric hunter-gatherers in the Atacama Desert (Chile), and the other concerned with modern cultural resource management in southwestern Puerto Rico. Together, these case studies demonstrate the utility of the method in both the study and preservation of archaeological phenomena.