Abstract:
New artifact curation methods such as 3-D laser scanning and 3-D
photogrammetry are exciting new developments within the field of anthropology.
However, there is little research discussing the accuracy and comparability of these
measurements to more traditional methods of curation such as hand held metrics. This
research compares the accuracies and comparability of 3-D laser scanning, 3-D
photogrammetry, and a Microscribe digitizer to traditional hand held metrics. 3-D models
were generated for three different skulls using a NextEngine laser scanner and
photogrammetry. Cranial metrics were repeated nine times for each digitally created
model produced via the NextEngine Laser Scanner or 3-D Photogrammetry and nine
times on the physical skull using a Microscribe digitizer and hand held calipers. Analyses
of these measurements revealed that the technological platforms are comparable in accuracy supporting the use of these technologies as a digital curation method.
