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location modelling. Based upon a filed archaeology geography 
information syetem, archaeologist can predict the potential 
archaeological sites location, discover the pattern of 
prehistorical settlements, and realize relationship between 
settlements and topography through viewed analysis. In line 
with former studies on predictive modelling, Espa presented a 
GIS based method to produce probability maps of 
archaeological site locations automatically (Espa et al., 2006). 
Using serration analysis, corresponding analysis and other 
spatial analysis methods, archaeologists study the occurrence of 
157 bead types at 98 European Aurigacian sites to get the 
knowledge of the first anatomically modem populations 
colonising the European territory of their degrees of biological, 
linguistic, and cultural diversity at different settlements 
(Vanhaeren et al., 2006 ). While other archaeologists 
conducted a case study at Bronze Age caims of North Mull, 
Scotland applied rigorous statistical analysis and viewed 
analysis to studying the visible area (Fisher et al, 1997). 
1.2.2 Remote Sensing for Archaeology 
Surface features caused by historic sites can be recorded by 
remotely sensed aerial and satellite imagery, including 
multispectral, hyper-spectral, and synthetic aperture radar 
imagery. With the capacity of detecting, cataloguing, 
differentiating and classifying surface and near surface 
underground historical relic features, remote sensing can get 
better realization of the features, their patterns, textures, size, 
association, and so on, and plays an important role in the 
investigation, prospection, and management of various cultural 
heritages. 
Information extracted from radar imagery, multispectral 
imagery, hyperspectral imagery, thermal infrared imagery, 
panchromatic and colour infrared imagery, combined with field 
surveying, had been used to look back in time and trace clues of 
ancient civilization, showing the value of modem technology to 
help us find the history recorded on Earth’s surface (Fisher et 
al., 1999; Trelogan et al., 1999; Blom et al, 2000; Tan et al., 
2006). In particular, Air photos, ETM+, and TM images were 
utilized as major tools in archaeological investigation to 
indentify the boundaries of the historical sites of Persepolis 
(Behnaz Aminazadeh et al., 2006). In addition, Kucukkaya 
reported a series of topics at session Q2 of the Fifth World 
Archaeological Congress (WAC5) which aiming to address the 
problem of the management of cultural heritage and 
archaeological areas with remote sensing (Kucukkya, 2004). 
1.2.3 Visual Methods for Cultural Heritages 
Conservation 
Recently the methods necessary for utilizing three- 
dimensional(3D) visualization and virtual reality in modelling, 
simulating, digital preserving, auxiliary restoring of historical 
cultural resources and environment have been studied carefully. 
During the restoration process of an ancient bronze statue, the 
Minerva of Arezzo, located at Museo Archeologico in Florence, 
complete 3D digital models of the Minerva were produced to 
keep track of the variations that occurred during the restoration 
process, up to the final acquisition of the form of the restored 
artwork (Fontana et al., 2002). Especially virtual reality (VR) 
was applied to develop 3D visualization tools and support 
virtual archaeology activities (Allen et al., 2003; Vote et al., 
2002). Furthermore Winterbotom used geographic information 
systems (GIS) based analyses and VR reconstructions, to 
explore landscape context for two types of Neolithic 
monuments: cup and ring rock art and a stone circle, then 
suggested that VR would be useful to explore visually rich 
representations of past environments for site interpretation, 
present uncertainty and test different scenarios for landscape 
archaeology context (Winterbottom et al., 2006). 
1.2.4 Other Useful Methods: The development of 
alternative techniques and methods for the cultural heritage 
conservation has been identified as an important aspect in the 
last years. A remarkable case is that Global Position System 
(GPS) is wildly applied to archaeological prospection, spatial 
data acquisition, 3D geometric modelling and other potential 
use. Additionally 3D laser scanning addresses problem of 
modelling, detecting the minor transformation of statue and 
valuable construction quickly. 
Based on high-resolution micro-topographical data generated 
by GPS surveys, Chapman brought forward a new 
archaeological prospection technique for wetlands, and 
conducted a subsequent programme of ground truthing to 
demonstrate the value (Chapman et al., 2001). In 2007, Losier 
presented a procedure developed to generate 3D models from 
GPS positions taken at the top and the bottom of the excavation 
units boundaries on the archaeological site of Tell Achameh, 
Syria; the results showed that comparing with the usual 
procedure, with a theodolite or a total station, the work in the 
field with a GPS RTK allowed archaeologists to collect more 
points of an excavation unit within the same time period, and 
build a 3D geometrical modelling of extraction units easily 
(Losier et al., 2007). 
2. METHODS AND PROCEDURE 
2.1 The Study Area 
The Grand Canal of China, a masterpiece by ancient Chinese 
similar to the Great Wall, stretching from Hangzhou in the 
south to Beijing in the North, is the world’s longest and oldest 
man-made waterway (Figure 1; Figure 2). It is about 1,794 
kilometres long, and connects five major water systems, 
including the Yangtze and the Yellow River. As a whole, The 
Canal was built, section by section, in different areas and under 
different dynasties, started form 5th century B.C. and complete 
by the year 1327. The Grand Canal of China, as the main 
transportation linking the nation’s capital city in the fertile 
northern region to its most affluent territory in the southern 
region, promoting economic and cultural exchanges and 
strengthening the unification of the country, played a significant 
role in the history of China. Needham estimated(Needham, 
Joseph, 1971), “Nothing remotely approaching the Chinese 
canal systems existed in Europe until the four great 
seventeenth-century canals in France, even by 1893 the 
total mileage of French canals had only reached three times the 
length of China’s Grand Canal alone in 1300.” 
With a profound history more than 2400 years, a unique culture 
and folk customers associated with the canal’s evolution, 
formed. Along the canal, there are countless magnificent 
cultural relics, and the canal has been hailed as “a long corridor 
of ancient culture”, and “a show room of folk customs”. In the 
year of 2006, State Administration of Cultural Heritage added 
the Grand Canal of China on the list of heritages to apply for 
World Cultural Heritage to UNESCO. Several research projects 
are carried out to strengthen the preservation of the canal. This 
study is one of the research projects, and plans to employ 
spatial information technology to backup the preservation