2022 - Photogrammetry and Its Applications in Anthropology: A Literature Review - Poster Presentation

Photogrammetry can best be described as a 3D image processed by specialized software that results from 2D photographs, laser scans, and other types of imaging. The technique, although originating in the early 19th century, has been an area of particularly increasing multidisciplinary interest since 2010. This review is being written with the intention of assessing and informing on the utility of such technology, as well as its applications in various fields such as forensic anthropology and archaeology, specifically in relation to human skeletal remains. Techniques in photogrammetry allow for evaluation of morphological characteristics, and even provide assessments available exclusively through this type of imaging. It can be used to render 3D prints that can be employed as teaching collections or as replicas placed in museums to protect more fragile and deteriorating bones. Photogrammetry can even be used on in-situ graves or dig sites to preserve what inevitably gets destroyed when excavating, something of utmost importance, especially in the medicolegal community, where vital evidence could be found long after the scene has been released. Photogrammetry is extremely useful in these situations because it is a non-destructive tool that can be cost- and time-efficient, and it is intended to supplement rather than replace excavations, investigations, and osteological studies.