Open Aerial Map, Drones and Archaeology: The implications of using drones to contribute and share aerial data on an open data repository

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to determine the potential benefits and challenges of volunteered aerial imagery by looking at OpenAerialMap (OAM) and by presenting how a repository like OAM may be applied in archaeological studies. The interviews and survey conducted in this research indicate that the main benefits of OAM are affordability, accessibility, rapid mapping and historic image preservation. Among the key challenges identified are concerns around data quality and privacy. Though most of the images on OAM are of high resolution, there is currently no way to guarantee the quality of images that people share on OAM. Similarly, there are no real safeguards against the misuse the openly available imagery. This is a prominent concern in archaeology, where open aerial images may increase the looting and destruction of heritage sites. Then again, OAM can aid in a number of ways in terms of archaeological research and it may even contribute to citizen engagement in archaeology. The research indicates that OAM is a positive endeavour that makes spatial data more accessible and provides drone users with the ability to engage in citizen science.