Many years ago, I had the privilege of visiting the 800 year-old cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park, in Southwest Colorado. Like so many of the world’s great archeological treasures, the site has a way of speaking to its visitors, informing us not only about what life was like when it was inhabited, but reminding us in some fundamental way of what it means to be human in any era.

Ravaged by the passage of time, exposure to the elements, plundered by looters and often compromised by early archeological efforts, many of the world’s great man-made archeological sites are now threatened by increased tourism, pollution, and potentially, global climate change. Our history is literally crumbling.

Now, by applying laser mapping technologies to the field of archeology, at-risk sites can be scanned and turned into three-dimensional, high-definitional models, thus preserving something of their essence for future generations to contemplate.

This week’s Movie follows the work of Cyark, a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve cultural heritage sites through collecting, archiving and providing open access to data created by laser scanning, digital modeling, and other state-of-the-art technologies. To date, Cyark has completed 21 projects with an additional nine in progress.

Laser Archeology: The Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde