It's super impressive what agents can do, but I'm not convinced from this post that this is something not already detected.
For example, [1] cites detection of nearly 100,000 structures. Here's a map with a simple web view with thousands of polygons [2]. I wonder if he looked for it here (or did the agent?). Here's [3] a page with a lidar coverage map and links to more data. AI could certainly be used to make all this data easier to access.
There's 1000s of known sites that haven't been excavated. And even for heavily explored sites - those that have roads and infrastructure nearby - there are huge numbers of structures still buried in plain sight. Countless tree-covered mounds that look like hills are pyramids.
Just because a site is not mapped does not mean it is unknown or has not been previously studied. There are many reasons a site might be known yet undocumented, among them, lack of money for excavation and resistance from indigenous groups (specifically for sacred sites). That said, the possibility that this is indeed an unknown site is not that crazy given the extent and longevity of the Mayan empire.
While I get the excitement of feeling like you „discovered“ something new, there‘s a reason why researchers go through a long process of training to do research — there are ethical and methodological standards and practices that are important for maintaining scientific rigor and for treating cultural sites and artifacts with care and respect. It‘s not just a matter of detecting a new site and writing up a report.
It's super impressive what agents can do, but I'm not convinced from this post that this is something not already detected.
For example, [1] cites detection of nearly 100,000 structures. Here's a map with a simple web view with thousands of polygons [2]. I wonder if he looked for it here (or did the agent?). Here's [3] a page with a lidar coverage map and links to more data. AI could certainly be used to make all this data easier to access.
There's 1000s of known sites that haven't been excavated. And even for heavily explored sites - those that have roads and infrastructure nearby - there are huge numbers of structures still buried in plain sight. Countless tree-covered mounds that look like hills are pyramids.
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X2...
[2] https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?url=https:%...
[3] https://ancientmayasettlement.com/2022/02/12/206/
Just because a site is not mapped does not mean it is unknown or has not been previously studied. There are many reasons a site might be known yet undocumented, among them, lack of money for excavation and resistance from indigenous groups (specifically for sacred sites). That said, the possibility that this is indeed an unknown site is not that crazy given the extent and longevity of the Mayan empire.
While I get the excitement of feeling like you „discovered“ something new, there‘s a reason why researchers go through a long process of training to do research — there are ethical and methodological standards and practices that are important for maintaining scientific rigor and for treating cultural sites and artifacts with care and respect. It‘s not just a matter of detecting a new site and writing up a report.
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