Have you always been fascinated by mummies, pyramids and hieroglyphics? Has archaeology been something that interested you since you were young? Maybe you have been a longtime fan of the Hollywood version of archaeology promoted by the "Indiana Jones" franchise?
Well regardless, one "space archaeologist," Dr. Sarah Parcak, wants to enlist your help as part of her army of global explorers. If her dream continues to move forward, you can help her discover new pyramids, ancient cities and all kinds of historic finds without even leaving the comfort of your home.
Sounds like science fiction? It kind of is … except it's not fiction.
Parcak, an associate professor at the University of Alabama, utilizes the latest high-resolution satellite data technology to discover historic sites around the world. Reading the images carefully, she has been able to discover undetected pyramids, ancient towns, and “looting pits” – holes that looters have dug to discover ancient buried artifacts.
Explaining the process, she told Quartz that the work is actually relatively simple. However, the major issue holding scientists back is simply time and manpower. This is what Parcak plans to change.
Having received a million dollar prize from the global TED forum to help make her vision come true, Parcak has decided to deploy a "massive, crowd-sourced online distance science campaign." Currently, she is working with game designers on a mobile app that will teach users how to properly read the high-resolution satellite images.
The app would allow the discovery and reporting of previously undiscovered historic sites to be crowdsourced, allowing even those with just a casual interest in archaeology to become part of the exploration process.
Parcak sees her mission as particularly important when looking at the reality on the ground in many places where ancient sites are simply being destroyed or vandalized.
"If we don’t do something in the next couple of years, all this will be gone," Parcak said, according to Quartz. "We truly want the world to be engaged with this. If we don’t get the world excited about discovery, I don’t think we’re going to make any headway."