162 THE FLORIDA ANTHROPOLOGIST

2006 VOL. 59(3-4)

 

A Recorded Archaeological Sites

LS LJ ] Meters
0 50 100

UNIVERSITY OF
200 SOUTH FLORIDA

Figure 1. Map depicting recorded archaeological sites in the vicinity of the Miami Circle and Royal Palm Circle features.

and virtual preservation of information. Each component of the
site can be examined in meticulous detail as well as analyzed
diachronically relative to its surroundings. Thus, the HDDS
data can be used to address evolving research questions and to
assist with interpretation, visualization, and three-dimensional
representation for the public and for on-going archaeological
inquiry.

For both the Miami Circle and the subsequent Royal Palm
Circle HDDS projects, three-dimensional laser scanning
applications were integrated with other survey techniques to
produce richer and more complete datasets. Additional spatial
reference data were collected with robotic total stations and
survey grade, Real Time Kinetic Global Positioning System
(RTK-GPS) equipment that provided sub-centimeter vertical
and horizontal spatial control at the site areas (Figure 2).
Additionally, the Miami Circle HDDS project used data
previously collected through conventional transit survey to
further improve the analytical capabilities. A Geographical

Information Systems (GIS) database synthesized all previous
datasets and available imagery with the spatial control from the
current work to combine, visualize, and query the multiple
types of archaeological information collected (Collins and
Wheeler 2006; Weisman and Collins 2003).

The integration of the Royal Palm Circle data with those
from the Miami Circle demonstrated how HDDS techniques can
document individual features as well as merge discrete datasets
for comparison and analysis across space. By viewing these
sites from differing scales of analysis, the broader landscape at
the mouth of the Miami River is brought into focus and a
clearer understanding of individual features and relationships
with larger scale site areas is possible (Figure 3). Taken
together, these surveys allow cross-comparison and examina-
tion of the area’s settlement history and demonstrate the
benefits of rapid inventory techniques. HDDS can virtually
preserve features and sites even in the shadow of high-rise
development (Collins and Wheeler 2006).