The Malta cistern mapping project : expedition II

Abstract

This paper documents the second of two archeological expeditions that employed several underwater robot mapping and localization techniques. The goal of this project is to explore and map ancient cisterns located on the islands of Malta and Gozo. Dating back to 300 B.C., the cisterns of interest acted as water storage systems for fortresses, private homes, and churches. They often consisted of several connected chambers, still containing water. A Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), was deployed into cisterns to obtain video and sonar images. Using a variety of sonar based mapping techniques, two-dimensional maps of 18 different cisterns were created.