Have cellphone, will travel: that’s the mantra in today’s device-driven world. Now, with a smartphone camera and a special app, a new project is providing virtual tours of archaeological sites in northern Arizona.
The Kaibab National Forest’s website now displays amazing 360-degree views of actual pueblos and rock art sites, old cabins and fire lookouts, and historic railroads, trails, and roads.
Using Google Camera on a phone, archaeologist Neil Weintraub snaps a picture at a site—or actually 41 images stitched together, to form a collage called a “photosphere.” On screen, users can rotate the view and gain a sense of the entire surrounding landscape. When that image is downloaded into the Tiny Planets app, a compressed and more artistic rendering can be created.
Weintraub is excited about the technique because the views provide a new perspective on archaeological and historical sites. For example, it gives him more clues about why people built pueblos where they did a thousand years ago. Even more, the almost three-dimensional photographs reveal how important the sky and landscape were to people who lived in the region back then.
For Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month, he’s showing images of Wupatki and Walnut Canyon, Elden Pueblo, and Keyhole Sink in talks around the state.
It’s not quite the same as being there. But Weintraub hopes this technique will give people a preview, so when they do visit in person they’ll see with more informed eyes.
