At ProAerial Media, we’re really into the history of what was and the way things were. We love to wander about searching for and exploring ‘new’ old places. Some of our team’s favorite places to fly are the many mining and ghost towns littered across the mountains and valleys of the Mojave and Great Basin. But the truth is, nothing lasts forever and one day these sites will be gone.

Though efforts are made to preserve many cultural and historical sites, far more never receive the ongoing funding needed to “last forever”. They like all things, will ultimately succumb to father time. However, utilizing drones and aerial photogrammetry, these cultural treasures can actually live-on and be experienced by future generations as highly detailed and interactive 3D representations of reality.

For some additional insight for this article, we reached out to a friend and colleague of ours who knows more about [and how to find] the many historic sites scattered across the Mojave and Great Basin Deserts, better than anyone else we know. Guy Starbuck, of Starbuck’s Exploring, is a wealth of information and has taken great strides to visit and help preserve many of the region’s cultural and historical treasures. We highly recommend you take a look at his site where he’s documented his experiences at length.

Why Is It Important to Preserve the Past?

So why are these efforts so crucial to future generations? Well, imagine waking up today and you had no reference to yesterday or any day prior. Your identity was forged each and every day as if it were your first, with no bearing for reference or past experience to draw from. That’s what a society of people without any knowledge of their cultural and geographical heritage would amount to. Perspective is why it’s vitally important to study, analyze, and preserve as many of these historic sites as possible.

According to Guy, not enough effort is made to preserve historical sites and he says the primary issue is typically a lack of funding.

“In the past, land managers had primarily relied on a site’s obscurity to help keep them protected. Thanks to the internet and social media that hope is gone, and these places need to be digitally preserved for future generations before they are gone completely.”

For more info on the importance of historical preservation, check out this article from the National Parks Service; “What Is Historic Preservation?”.

What Is Photogrammetry?

Photogrammetry is the process of creating a digital representation of a place or object in reality, by collecting multiple overlapping photographs of the subject from varying vantage points. These images are then“stitched together” or orthorectified allowing for the output of 3D models, and 2D maps that provide accurate distance and volumetric measurements. Simply put, photogrammetry is the science of measuring from images, providing a way to interpret real-world data that is as engaging as it is useful. To learn more, read our article titled, “What Is Photogrammetry? (Answered In Under 100 Words)”.

How Aerial Photogrammetry Can Help

In order to properly preserve a building or landmark for future generations to experience, proper funding and a team of people is necessary. The reality is, there are far more sites to preserve than there is funding to allocate. Even sites that have active organizations or trusts to manage them continually have to lobby to secure government funding for themselves. Additionally, most all of these sites require continual maintenance and management to combat mother nature’s unrelenting assault, further straining already depleted resources.

So how can Aerial Photogrammetry help these organizations preserve their legacies for the next generation? By capturing aerial imaging data, they can preserve all of the vital information about a specific place at that very moment in time. This data can then be interpreted into various interactive 3D and 2D models that can be shared and experienced by anyone with an internet connection.

“With the use of digital preservation efforts like photogrammetry, we can preserve our cultural and historical sites, in a more cost-effective way. We can truly allow them to last forever, and provide a meaningful and engaging experience that people will love.” -Guy Starbuck

What To Expect

As with all aerial photography projects, proper organization and planning are vital to the success of the mission. At PAM, we approach cultural and historical preservation projects by understanding what it is we’re looking to achieve and then analyze the best methods for accomplishing that mission.

We’d next consider the various flight and camera settings required to capture the needed data/images, the best time of year for weather and lighting, as well as the crew members needed and any travel needs. We’d then approximate the acquisition time needed, the size of that data-set, and the processing requirements to yield the final deliverables.

At this point, we will provide your team with an itemized cost estimate that is good for one year, for the project you can use in your grant request or fiscal planning.

Below is a list of the key steps involved in a historical preservation project here at ProAerial.

1. Pre-Project Planning

   1. Stakeholder & Team Introductions

   2. Mission & Objectives

   3. Funding & Budget Assistance

2. Mission Planning

   1. Site Research, Survey, & Assessment

   2. Acquisition & Post-Processing Strategy

   3. Proposal Writing

   4. Team Organization & Shooting Schedules

   5. Weather Monitoring & Travel Arrangements

3. On-Location Acquisition

   1. Daily Production Schedules

   2. Pre-Flight Safety

   3. Ground Control Placement & Marking

   4. Flight Plan Execution, Backup, & Review

4. Post Processing

   1. Data Organization & Backup

   2. Point Cloud Processing & Output Rendering

      1. Orthomosaic, 3D Textured-Mesh, DSM, DTM, and more

See the sample images below from a recent preservation operation at the Southern Nevada Mine near Searchlight, Nevada.

Want to Learn More and How to Get Started?

If you’re an eligible nonprofit or not-for-profit organization, there are a wealth of resources available for you at Grants.gov, where you can learn more about accessing available grants and best practices for applying. Before applying for any specific grant we recommend having a plan in place for once the funding is secured, and working with a team whose understanding of the funding process will prove most beneficial. For individuals and organizations without nonprofit status, preservation efforts can still be made through private funding may be required.

To learn more about PAM’s preservation programs, visit the official PAM Historical Preservation Project Page on our website and schedule a free conversation with one of our pros to see how we can help.

ProAerial Media provides photogrammetry/drone mapping services for an array of industries as well as traditional aerial photography and videography services. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to see our video work, and our Instagram feed to view our photography (@proaerialmedia). If you’re ready to fly, you can always book a flight from the ProAerial Media Website.

Thanks for reading!

Take flight. Take pics. Get clicks.