By Moana Data Services/Kahuto Pacific
New high-resolution airborne LiDAR data from the Moana Data Service has revealed a previously hidden landscape of earthworks across parts of the Suva and Rewa region, offering new insights into how people may have lived, farmed, and organised the landscape in Fiji’s past.
The data, recently processed and released through the Moana platform, provides detailed elevation models that allow researchers to detect subtle ground features invisible beneath vegetation and modern development. Early analysis suggests the presence of extensive earthwork formations, including circular and interconnected structures that may represent historical land-use systems.
The patterns were first identified by Leo Vanualailai, a GIS officer with the Ministry of Environment, who was exploring the newly released dataset. They are now being examined in collaboration with international archaeologists, the Fiji Museum, and local research partners.
“Finds like these are remarkable archaeological discoveries that add to a growing Pacific-wide inventory of what LiDAR is revealing. They also provide direct evidence for how communities adapted and reshaped their environment over time, offering long term perspectives on some of the biggest challenges facing the Pacific today,” said Phillip Parton, Archeologist from the Australian National University.
Preliminary interpretations indicate that some of the larger circular earthworks are surrounded by large ditches and banks that resemble defensive structures seen elsewhere in the Pacific. Surrounding these structures are expansive networks of smaller earthworks that could represent earlier landscape modifications used for settlement or agriculture in low-lying areas.
“These datasets allow us to see patterns in the landscape that are almost impossible to identify on the ground,” said Christopher Saili of Kahuto Pacific.
“LiDAR technology can reveal subtle earthworks and landscape modifications that have been hidden by vegetation or development.’
Researchers have also observed extensive networks of interconnected pathways and features across floodplains and ridgelines, suggesting a complex and organised historical landscape. However, experts stress that further research and field verification will be required before definitive conclusions can be drawn about the age and function of these structures.
Kahuto Pacific is currently working closely with the Fiji Museum, local landowners, and international archaeological experts to review the findings and determine appropriate next steps for research and heritage protection.
“This is an early-stage discovery, but it highlights how powerful open geospatial data can be in supporting cultural heritage research and uncovering stories about Fiji’s past,” Saili added.
The LiDAR datasets for Suva and Nadi are available through the Moana Data Service, a web-based geospatial platform designed to make high-quality environmental and spatial data accessible to researchers, government agencies, and the public.
