LiDAR →

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a remote sensing technology that uses laser light to map the surface of the Earth. When used from an airplane, aerial LiDAR can see through trees and underbrush to give us an excellent view of the land underneath. On the ground, LiDAR helps us create digital models of what a particular site looked like when soldiers used it.

We often use LiDAR to assess land we might be interested in preserving. It also gives us clues to the location of battlegrounds and other important locations.

Recently we discovered a large earthworks line, called the Christ Church Lines, that crossed the entirety of Mount Pleasant. Fort Palmetto was known to be at the southern end of the Christ Church Lines, so we performed aerial LiDAR to search for the site. When we found what was left of the fort, we used terrestrial LiDAR to create a digital model of what Fort Palmetto looked like in 1863.