The search for Genghis Khan: Using modern tools to hunt for an ancient past

The Valley of the Khans Project aims to shed light on that mystery via a noninvasive archaeological search for the tomb of Genghis Khan. Applying modern technologies ranging from satellite and aerial remote sensing, to human computation, computer vision, and non-destructive geophysical surveying Lin hopes to "find the needle in the haystack without touching a single blade of grass". Field expeditions to Mongolia have utilized GIS technologies to define the landscape and create a baseline of information of a region deemed "forbidden" for nearly 800 years. Public participation of massive scale visual analytics of Ikonos satellite imagery and aerial photography is helping identify anomalies in the expansive, uninhabited wilderness. Through this combination of 3D Digital exploration with technologies such as Calit2's the "StarCAVE" and high tech field expeditions, the project aims to contribute to the knowledge of Genghis Khan's final resting place, which today remains undiscovered a time capsule from an era destined to help shape the modern world.