El Morro National Monument

In June 2015, Cultural Heritage Imaging (CHI) embarked on a project in collaboration with the US National Park Service and the Center of Preservation Research of the University of Colorado, Denver to capture important inscriptions and petroglyphs at El Morro.The CHI team used photogrammetry at El Morro to gather geometric data from the Inscription Rock. Because this technique allows relatively quick and easy 3D capture of large areas, it was used to acquire extensive data for the project. One of photogrammetry's strengths for this type of project, which includes very fine details like those in inscriptions, is that it allowed the CHI team to collect fine detail where needed and less data for the surrounding areas and cliff faces, which show the larger context. The team turned to photogrammetry to capture large-scale parts of the site. The resulting measurable 3D data can be used into the future for monitoring the site for changes from environmental wear, and it also serves as high-quality data for the historical record. The historical record is critical because of the fragility of the petroglyphs and inscriptions at the site. The team also captured image data from the inscriptions with Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), which will continue to be used in the future by interpreters, Cultural Heritage Imaging was able to shed light on these mysterious inscriptions at El Morro. From a main east-west trail, dating from antiquity, rises the great sandstone promontory of El Morro. Over the centuries, those who traveled this trail stopped to camp at the shaded oasis beneath these cliffs. They left the carved evidence of their passing -- symbols, names, dates, and fragments of their stories that register the cultures and history intermingled on the rock. External Project Link: https://www.nps.gov/elmo/index.htm Additional Info Link: http://culturalheritageimaging.org/What_We_Do/Projects/elmorro/