3 Advances in Rocky Mountain Paleontology

Monday, 7 May 2007
8:00 AM - 11:30 AM

RECENT TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN THE PHOTOGRAMMETRIC DOCUMENTATION OF DINOSAUR TRACKS IN UTAH FOR SCIENTIFIC AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES

Paper number: 3-2
Program: SYMPOSIA SESSIONS
Time: 8:10 AM – 8:30 AM

Authors

Abstract

Close-range photogrammetry is an effective method for documenting paleontological resources, in particular fossil footprints. Previously available photogrammetric software and workflows necessitated a level of technical expertise that made the process difficult for the general researcher. Dramatic advancements have occurred recently in technology, resulting in a simplification of the process, both with the steps needed to capture photography in the field and the knowledge needed to successfully utilize the 3D data extraction software. Commercially available software, high-resolution digital cameras, and high performance laptops are now able to capture point clouds and registered textures with the quality, reliability, and authenticity necessary for easy scientific use at a reasonable cost. Stereoscopic, overlapping photographs, taken with a few simple guidelines, can be utilized to generate point clouds of objects ranging in size from a few centimeters to ten's of square meters. This technology can increase the ease of field and laboratory documentation and reduces the impact to the resource. These virtual models can be exported for use in a variety of visualization softwares where vertical exaggeration and scale can be manipulated to enhance subtle features difficult to see in the field. This virtual data can be viewed in the GIS environment or used to produce solid models through the rapid prototype process.

Fossil tracks, trackways, and tracksites provide an incredible wealth of information about extinct ecosystems and the organisms that inhabited them. The study of these fossil resources can shed light on the physical environment, the dynamics of movement, and the activity patterns of prehistoric animals. Unlike fossil bone localities, fossil footprints are not collected, except under unique circumstances. Thus, the way in which these resources are managed dictates a somewhat different strategy. Public lands (managed by agencies like the BLM) in the western United States have a very good "track record." The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, San Rafael Swell, Moab, and St. George areas showcase some of the incredible geological and ichnological resources found within Utah that are currently being photogrammetrically documented for scientific and public interpretive purposes.