Digitally Preserving the Archaeology of Mesa Verde

How Cyark is documenting the 700 year old cliff dwellings

In February 2017 CyArk spent two days documenting Balcony House at Mesa Verde National Park using LiDAR and terrestrial photogrammetry.   

The Balcony House site sits about 700 feet above the narrow and rugged Soda canyon. It gets its name from its well preserved balcony and has 40 rooms across different buildings.  

Balconies were common features of cliff dwellings, although only a few have survived to this day. There were not only access points into the second story of the buildings but also spaces used for work or drying food.  

Take a look around Balcony House.

Combining both technologies together created a textured 3D model of the site that was then sliced into individual drawings. After the project was completed the architectural drawings and a final report were shared with the park.  

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