High School Students Learned to Map Archaeological Sites Using Drones and 3D Technology

Fifteen high school students involved in the GoHigher program got a hands-on experience of what it means to work as an archaeologist in the digital age. At the hillfort near Starý Plzenec, they worked with experts from the University of West Bohemia to map the terrain using drones or a laser scanner

Instead of a regular school day, 15 selected students from various secondary schools took part in a project day on October 22, organized by the Centre for Digital Archaeology of the Faculty of Arts, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (UWB), in cooperation with the Regional Development Agency of the Pilsen Region. The entire day focused on the use of digital technologies in archaeology.

“We were delighted to present our work to high school students who showed an interest in archaeology at an interdisciplinary level and to introduce them to both Czech and international projects our research centre is involved in,” said Lenka Starková, head of the Centre for Digital Archaeology.

Part of the event took place in the field at the Hůrka hillfort near Starý Plzenec, where participants could watch practical demonstrations of data collection using an unmanned aerial vehicle, ground and aerial scanners, and differential GPS. They tried documenting real archaeological monuments—such as early medieval ramparts, the foundations of a church, and the rotunda of Sts. Peter and Paul.

The second part of the day was held at the Starý Plzenec Town Hall, where archaeologists demonstrated how the collected data are processed. The students observed the creation of 3D models, orthophoto maps, and the results of laser scanning and reconstruction modeling. Presentations were prepared not only by staff from the Centre for Digital Archaeology but also by PhD students from the Department of Archaeology who use digital methods in their research.

“Archaeology today is a completely different science from what the public often imagines. It’s important to introduce our methods and results to a broader audience—especially young people. Perhaps today we helped some of them find the direction of their future studies,” summarized Petr Krištuf, researcher at the Centre for Digital Archaeology and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Arts, UWB.

The project day was designed for gifted students participating in the GoHigher program, coordinated in the Pilsen Region by the Regional Development Agency. “Our goal is to connect talented students from different secondary schools, and events like this provide an ideal environment for that,” said Eva Rojíková, manager of the Building a Talent Community for VaVaI.

The event was financially supported by the Smart Accelerator of the Pilsen Region III and the University of West Bohemia, under the project Community Marketing – Interdisciplinarity. The venue was provided by the Town of Starý Plzenec, and the equipment used was funded by the PhD Infra UWB and NPO 3.2.1 programs.