Since 2008 Professors Scott Stull (SUNY Cortland) and Michael "Bodhi" Rogers (Ithaca College) have used a range of techniques to document and study Colonial Houses along the Mohawk River Valley region in New York State. Along with traditional techniques such as historic records research and photography the team is applying cutting edge technology to the project. Geophysical Archaeology instruments
such as conductivity, ground-penetrating radar, magnetometry, and resistivity are helping the team obtain images of buried features without or prior to excavation. These houses existed on a larger landscape that is no longer visible above ground today. Understanding what lies beneath the ground helps us better reconstruct the past.
3D Laser Scanning instruments are facilitating digital preservation of the houses inside and out. Using Leica C10 and P40 scanners the team is taking readings every 5 mm across all architectural surfaces. This creates a 3-dimensional 'point cloud' that is used for making measurements and architectural renderings. The team is working on how to reduce the research grade data, which can be 100 GB in size per house, to a smaller size to facilitate self-guided online tours.
