Malta Cistern Mapping
3D Visualization of Malta Cistern.
In the spring of 2008, Dr. Clark worked with archeologist Dr. Timmy Gambin from Malta to explore and map ancient cisterns located on the islands of Malta and Gozo. The cisterns of interest acted as water storage systems for fortresses, private homes, and churches. They often consisted of several connected chambers, still containing water. A sonar-equipped Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) was deployed into the cisterns dating back to 300 B.C. to obtain both video footage and sonar range measurements. Different mapping and localization techniques were employed to construct 2D maps of six different cisterns. An additional expedition took place in Spring of 2009, resulting in 26 more sites being mapped. In total, five expeditions to Malta took place, of which three were part of a NSF-funded project.
More information on the expeditions can be found in the following links:
ICEX 2011 Blog
ICEX 2012 Blog
ICEX 2013 Blog
ICEX 2015 Blog
ICEX 2016 Blog