Il Telerilevamento in Archeologia

The main limit we found in using remote sensing data for archaeological pur­ pose was that of the weak space resolution of the satellite images. The putting on the market of images with an higher resolution, the possibility of acquiring aerial multi­ spectral and hyperspectral data, the availability of sensors which can be used on earth and, last but not least, the slump in prices of digital images processing soft­ ware, all constitute evidence of the probable growth in the use of remote sensing, even by disciplines, like the archaeological one, which were once marginal. The last obstacle to the diffusion of remote sensing in archaeology is that of vocational training. It’s necessary to reach a qualified level which can enable us to use available data to the utmost, to stimulate the production of instruments which can produce images apt to archaeological research, and to evaluate the current and future possibilities of effectiveness of the use of remote sensing. What follows is not meant to be a an exhaustive guide about remote sensing but a simple (thus sometimes inaccurate) explanation of some general concepts re­ garding the acquisition, processing and interpretation of those images given by re­ mote sensing in relation to the needs of archaeological research.