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Applications of 3D Modelling of Rock Art Sites Using Ground-Based Photogrammetry: A Case Study from the Greater Red Lily Lagoon Area, Western Arnhem Land, Northern Australia

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Visual Heritage: Digital Approaches in Heritage Science

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Cultural Computing ((SSCC))

  • The original version of this chapter was revised: The co-author’s name “Max Aubert” has been changed as “Maxime Aubert”. The correction to this chapter is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77028-0_28

Abstract

The creation of high-resolution 3D models using structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry is an emerging research tool in archaeology that allows the spatially accurate representation of rock art sites and landscapes. This methodology allows the creation of immersive representations of important cultural-heritage sites using widely available, inexpensive equipment and software which produce data that can be easily managed by the appropriate Indigenous custodians. In this study, ground-based photography was used to create high-resolution, georectified three-dimensional (3D) models of five rock art sites in the Greater Red Lily Lagoon Area (GRLLA) in western Arnhem Land, Northern Australia. Located directly between the East Alligator River and the Arnhem Plateau, on the Traditional Lands of the Australian Indigenous Manilakarr Clan, the rock art and cultural-heritage sites present in the GRLLA are of national heritage significance and are immediately adjacent to World Heritage-registered Kakadu National Park. This corpus of rock art is threatened by limited land management resources, tourism and visitor pressures, and land access issues. The creation of high-resolution 3D models of rock art using SfM photogrammetry provides a cost-effective approach to assist Indigenous cultural-heritage land managers to manage, record, and monitor rock art sites and enhance site access and visitor experiences.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Njajma Rangers, Alfred Nayinggul, Kenneth Mangiru, Anita Nayinggul, Katie Nayinggul, Manbiyarra (Grant) Nayinggul, Tex Badari, Sebastian Nagurrgurrba, Hilton Garnarradj, Jacob (Junior) Nayinggul, Lawrence Nayinggul, James Dempsey, Ursula Badari, Timothy Djumburri, Thomas Falck, Daniel McLoney, and Shay Wrigglesworth who provided invaluable assistance in carrying out this research. This research was supported by Australian Research Council grants DE160100703 (Moffat), DE170101447 (Wesley), and FT170100025 and DE140100254 (Aubert); by George Chaloupka Fellowships to Moffat, Jones, and Wesley; by a National Geographic Grant to Wesley and Jones; and by a Flinders University Early Career Researcher Impact Seed Grant to Moffat.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia

    Jarrad Kowlessar, Ian Moffat, Daryl Wesley, Tristen Jones & Mark Willis

  2. School of Culture, History and Language, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

    Tristen Jones

  3. Place, Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit (PERAHU), Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

    Maxime Aubert

  4. Sacred Sites Research, Inc, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Mark Willis

  5. Njanjma Aboriginal Corporation, Gunbalanya, Australia

    Alfred Nayinggul &  the Njanjma Aboriginal Corporation

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  1. Jarrad Kowlessar
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  2. Ian Moffat
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  3. Daryl Wesley
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  4. Tristen Jones
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  6. Mark Willis
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  7. Alfred Nayinggul
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  8. the Njanjma Aboriginal Corporation
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Correspondence to Jarrad Kowlessar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. NVIDIA Joint-Lab on Mixed Reality, NVIDIA Technology Centre, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, China

    Eugene Ch'ng

  2. Department of Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Henry Chapman

  3. School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK

    Vincent Gaffney

  4. School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK

    Andrew S. Wilson

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Kowlessar, J. et al. (2022). Applications of 3D Modelling of Rock Art Sites Using Ground-Based Photogrammetry: A Case Study from the Greater Red Lily Lagoon Area, Western Arnhem Land, Northern Australia. In: Ch'ng, E., Chapman, H., Gaffney, V., Wilson, A.S. (eds) Visual Heritage: Digital Approaches in Heritage Science. Springer Series on Cultural Computing. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77028-0_6

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