Paperless mapping and cave archaeology. Reviewing BRIC5, SAP6, and mobile device based lidar applications for archaeological cave survey

Paperless mapping method for cave archaeology executed with the DistoX2 device have been a core methodological application for various archaeological subterranean surveys since 2012. However early in 2020, the production life span of the device that is the backbone to the original method, came to an end with the discontinuation of the Leica x310 base unit and the Bluetooth module. This paper is reviewing other similar instruments for cave survey that follow the same principles with DistoX2 and can replace it in the paperless mapping workflow, while discusses their applicability for cave archaeology. The paper also presents the recently developed Mobile Device Based Lidar sensors and showcases how they can be an alternative way for subterranean archaeological recording. • Transition from DistoX2 to New Instruments : The discontinuation of the DistoX2 device in 2020 led to the emergence of BRIC5 and SAP6 as leading alternatives for paperless cave mapping, maintaining similar or superior accuracy. • ● Adoption of Mobile Device Lidar : Mobile device-based lidar, offers a quick and effective method for 3D cave surveys, although its accuracy in certain scenarios is still limited compared to DistoX2 and BRIC5. • ● Applications of New Technologies in Archaeology : Lidar technology has proven beneficial for archaeological documentation, particularly for trenches and features in caves, surpassing the lighting challenges of SfM photogrammetry. • ● Complementary Role of Lidar : Despite its advancements, mobile device lidar serves as a supplementary tool rather than a replacement for traditional paperless mapping.