Work

Recovering a Black Cemetery: Automated Mapping of Hidden Gravesites Using an sUAV and GIS in East End Cemetery, Richmond, VA

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Estimates suggest that over 15,000 people are buried at East End Cemetery, a historic African American cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, that until recently received no public funding for upkeep. Here, we present a case study analysis and potentially replicable methodology for counting and locating unmarked burial depressions in non-forested areas using a low-cost sUAV (drone) and simple, hydrology-based geographic information systems analyses. Upon visual inspection of 12% of our final 8,000 burial site dataset, we find our dataset is a plausible representation (75% accuracy) of potential grave locations. We hope that the methods presented below can be implemented to assist in reclaiming historically underfunded Black cemeteries across the American South.

Source: International Journal of Historical Archaeology

DOI: 10.1007/s10761-021-00642-3

Authors: Stephanie A. Spera, Matthew S. Franklin, Elizabeth A. Zizzamia, Ryan K. Smith

Institutions: University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University

Language: English

Topic: Archaeological Research and Protection

Subfield: Space and Planetary Science

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,890