09/03/2026
LiDAR is helping us see Fiji’s cultural landscape in an entirely new way.
Through the Moana Data Service, high-resolution airborne LiDAR captured across parts of Fiji is revealing subtle features in the landscape that can be difficult or sometimes impossible to recognise from conventional aerial imagery or from the ground.
Using LiDAR-derived Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), we can remove the visual obstruction of vegetation and examine the shape of the bare-earth terrain.
By applying terrain analysis in ArcGIS Pro, including smoothing the DEM and creating a Local Relief Model, subtle changes in elevation become much easier to identify. Banks, ditches, circular earthworks, pathways and other landscape modifications can begin to stand out.
In the Suva–Rewa area, this approach has highlighted extensive patterns of earthworks, including circular and interconnected features. Archaeological interpretation has identified strong potential for further research into settlement, land use and Fiji’s historic cultural landscape.
The analysis is not about declaring every feature an archaeological site. LiDAR helps us identify potential features of interest, which can then be reviewed alongside historical information, archaeological expertise and field verification.
