Application of Hough Forests for the detection of grave mounds in high-resolution satellite imagery

The conditions in the Altai Mountains make it a difficult area for archaeological on-ground surveys. Automatic surveying could facilitate decision making and planning as well as the building of a comprehensive database of archaeological monuments. We have tried three different approaches towards automatic detection of grave mounds in high-resolution optical data and found an object-class specific Hough forest algorithm the most suitable for the purpose. Through adaption and testing of the algorithm on IKONOS-2 data we created a tool for mapping archaeological features in the Altai Mountains, hence contributing to future steps towards a sustainable cultural heritage management.