Wallace Law

Research Interests

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Archaeology Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Studies Archaeological Science Archaeology of Australia Ecology Geography Geospatial Information Systems Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing

Dr Wallace Law

School of Biological Sciences

College of Science

Dr W. Boone Law is an Earth Observation scientist, spatial researcher and geoarchaeologist with experience spanning remote sensing, environmental monitoring, Aboriginal archaeology, field research and project management. He is a Senior Calibration and Validation Officer with the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN).
 
Boone is currently working with TERN to develop a national searchable catalogue of Earth Observation Cal/Val dataset citations and metadata. The project will identify unpublished drone, airborne, satellite and associated ground datasets that support calibration and validation research, ecological monitoring and environmental change studies.
 
He completed his PhD with the University of Adelaide’s Spatial Science Group, using satellite imagery and spatial modelling to investigate past Aboriginal land use and archaeological site distribution across the Australian arid zone. His doctoral research received the University of Adelaide Dean’s Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence. In 2021, he received the Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards Postgraduate Student Award at both the South Australian and Oceanic regional levels in recognition of his contribution to spatial science research. His broader work includes more than two decades of archaeological field and consulting experience, Kangaroo Island bushfire mapping, and satellite-based research into coastal turbidity, seagrass and environmental change. He also has extensive experience communicating technical research to industry, government and wider audiences.

Research Interests:

  • Earth Observation Science
  • Multispectral and Hyperspectral Remote Sensing, GIS, and Related Spatial Technologies
  • Ecological Modelling
  • Bushfire Mapping 
  • Geoarchaeology
  • Australian Arid Zone Archaeology
  • Aboriginal Stone Artefacts and Stone Artefact Analysis
  • Archaeological Field Methods, including Rockshelter Excavation and Open Site Recording
  • Scientific Research Design and Technical Report Writing

Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
2021 Award APSEA/SSSI Postgraduate Student Award 2020 - Oceanic Region Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI) Australia -
2021 Award APSEA/SSSI Postgraduate Student Award 2020 - South Australia Region Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI) Australia -
2020 Award Dean's Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence University of Adelaide Australia -
2015 Scholarship Faculty of Sciences Divisional Scholarship University of Adelaide Australia -
2015 Scholarship Constance Fraser Supplementary Scholarship University of Adelaide Australia -
1998 Scholarship Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) for International Students Australian National University Australia -
1997 Scholarship Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar Australian National University United States -

Date Institution name Country Title
2020 University of Adelaide Australia Ph.D. in Environmental Remote Sensing and Geospatial Science
2004 Australian National University Australia M. Phil. in Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology
1997 Australian National University Australia Grad. Dip. Prehistory and Archaeology
1996 Texas Tech University United States B.A. Anthropology

Date Title Institution Country
2009 - 2009 Geochronology Master Class: Dating Methods and Their Applications in Australasian Palaeoenvironmental and Archaeological Research Flinders University Australia
2004 - 2004 Geomorphology and Geoarchaeology for Archaeologists Short Course Quaternary Analysis Laboratories United States

Date Title Institution name Country
2018 Remote Pilot License University of Adelaide Australia
2015 First Aid Certificate (HLTAID001, HLTAID002, HLTAID003) St. John's Ambulance -
2012 Mining Safety and Leadership Certification Aveling -
2012 Advanced 4WD Certificate (RIIVEH305A) Getabout Training Services (Provider Code 90547) -
2010 Undertake Confined Space Rescue ERGT Skills For Life -
2010 Enter and Work in Confined Space (RIIOHS202A) ERGT Skills For Life -

Year Citation
2026 Cameron, D. L., Haidee, C., Boone, L. W., Alexander, F., Löhr Stefan, C., Yohanni, J. -M. L., . . . James, T. J. (2026). Long term context for bushfires in inhabited and uninhabited landscapes: A Holocene record from Kangaroo Island (Karti/Karta), South Australia. Global and Planetary Change, 263, 105490-1-105490-14.
DOI
2024 Duxbury, L. C., Johns-Mead, L. Y., Cadd, H., Francke, A., Löhr, S. C., Law, W. B., . . . Tyler, J. J. (2024). Holocene climate and catchment change inferred from the geochemistry of Lashmars Lagoon, Kangaroo Island (Karti/Karta), southern Australia. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 634, 15 pages.
DOI Scopus4 WoS4
2024 Law, W. B. (2024). Aerial and satellite remote sensing for Aboriginal archaeology: Past, present and future. Australian Archaeology, 90(1), 61-63.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2024 Slack, M. J., Law, W. B., Coster, A. C. F., Ditchfield, K., Field, J., Garvey, J., . . . Wasef, S. (2024). A 47,000 year archaeological and palaeoenvironmental record from Juukan 2 rockshelter on the western Hamersley Plateau of the Pilbara region, Western Australia. Quaternary Science Reviews, 338, 108823.
DOI Scopus7 WoS7
2024 Slack, M. J., Law, W. B., Coster, A. C. F., Ditchfield, K., Field, J., Garvey, J., . . . Wasef, S. (2024). Corrigendum to ‘A 47,000 year archaeological and palaeoenvironmental record from Juukan 2 rockshelter on the western Hamersley Plateau of the Pilbararegion, Western Australia’ [Quaternary Sci. Rev. 338 (2024) 108823] (Quaternary Science Reviews (2024) 338, (S027737912400324X), (10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108823)). Quaternary Science Reviews, 342, 2 pages.
DOI
2023 Duxbury, L. C., Johns-Mead, L. Y., Cadd, H., Francke, A., Löhr, S. C., Law, W. B., . . . Tyler, J. J. (2023). Holocene Climate and Catchment Change Inferred from the Geochemistry of Lashmars Lagoon, Kangaroo Island (Karti), Southern Australia.
DOI
2022 Fernandes, M. B., Hennessy, A., Law, W. B., Daly, R., Gaylard, S., Lewis, M., & Clarke, K. (2022). Landsat historical records reveal large-scale dynamics and enduring recovery of seagrasses in an impacted seascape.. The Science of the total environment, 813, 1-9.
DOI Scopus16 WoS17 Europe PMC2
2022 Fernandes, M., Hennessy, A., Law, W., Daly, R., Gaylard, S., Lewis, M., & Clarke, K. (2022). Benthic cover maps associated with paper "Landsat historical records reveal large-scale dynamics and enduring recovery of seagrasses in an impacted seascape", in Science of the Total Environment.
DOI
2021 Law, W. B., Hiscock, P., Ostendorf, B., & Lewis, M. (2021). Using satellite imagery to evaluate precontact Aboriginal foraging habitats in the Australian Western Desert.. Scientific reports, 11(1), 1-14.
DOI Scopus10 WoS5
2020 Law, W. B., & Slack, M. J. (2020). The Story is in the Rocks: How Stone Artefact Scatters can Inform our Understanding of Ancient Aboriginal Stone Arrangement Functions. Journal of Field Archaeology, 45(2), 106-119.
DOI Scopus2 WoS2
2020 Slack, M., Law, W. B., & Gliganic, L. (2020). The early occupation of the Eastern Pilbara revisited: New radiometric chronologies and archaeological results from Newman Rockshelter and Newman Orebody XXIX. Quaternary Science Reviews, 236, 1-19.
DOI Scopus10
2020 Law, W. B., Lewis, M. M., Ostendorf, B., & Hiscock, P. (2020). Cover Image. Geoarchaeology, 35(3).
DOI
2019 Law, W. B., Lewis, M. M., Ostendorf, B., & Hiscock, P. (2019). Reflecting on siliceous rocks in central Australia: Using advanced remote sensing to map ancient “tool-stone” resources. Geoarchaeology, 35(3), 400-415.
DOI Scopus2 WoS1
2019 Law, W. (2019). Book Review: The Nile Basin: Quaternary Geology, Geomorphology, and Prehistoric Environments by Martin Williams.. Quaternary Australasia, 36(2), 39-41.
2018 Slack, M. J., Law, W. B., & Gliganic, L. (2018). Pleistocene settlement of the eastern Hamersley Plateau: A regional study of 22 rock-shelter sites. Archaeology in Oceania, 53(3), 191-204.
DOI Scopus11
2017 Law, W. B., Slack, M. J., Ostendorf, B., & Lewis, M. M. (2017). Digital terrain analysis reveals new insights into the topographic context of Australian Aboriginal stone arrangements. Archaeological Prospection, 24(2), 169-179.
DOI Scopus11 WoS9
2017 Slack, M., Connell, K., Davis, A., Gliganic, L. A., Law, W. B., & Meyer, M. (2017). Post-Last Glacial Maximum settlement of the West Angelas region in the inland Hamersley Plateau, Western Australia. Australian Archaeology, 83(3), 127-142.
DOI Scopus9 WoS6
2010 Law, W., Cropper, D., & Petchey, F. (2010). Djadjiling rockshelter: 35,000 ¹⁴C years of Aboriginal occupation in the Pilbara, Western Australia. Australian Archaeology, 70(1), 68-71.
DOI Scopus30

Year Citation
2018 Cropper, D., & Law, W. B. (Eds.) (2018). Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia. Summertown, Oxford: Archaeopress Publishing.
Scopus4
2009 Law, W. B. (2009). Measured on Stone Stone Artefact Reduction, Residential Mobility, and Aboriginal Land Use in Arid Central Australia. British Archaeological Reports Limited.

Year Citation
2018 Cropper, D., & Law, W. B. (2018). An introduction to the Rockshelter excavations at Hope Downs 1. In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 3-16). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing.
2018 Law, W. B., & Cropper, D. (2018). An archaeological review of the Hamersley Plateau. In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 17-44). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing.
2018 Law, W. B., & Cropper, D. (2018). Excavations at Djadjiling Rockshelter (HD07-1A-04). In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 247-286). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing.
Scopus2
2018 Cropper, D., & Law, W. B. (2018). Research aims and methods. In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 53-90). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing.
Scopus1
2018 Law, W. B., & Cropper, D. (2018). Excavations at PAD 3 Rockshelter. In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 287-314). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing.
Scopus1
2018 Cropper, D., & Law, W. B. (2018). Summary and discussion of Rockshelter investigations at Hope Downs 1. In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 435-454). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing.
2008 Law, W. B. (2008). Chapter 3: Archaeological Setting. In B. Houk, K. Miller, & E. R. Oksanen (Eds.), The Gatlin Site (41KR621): Investigating Archaic Lifeways on the Southern Edwards Plateau of Central Texas. Austin: Texas Department of Transportation.
DOI
2008 Law, W. B. (2008). Chapter 5: Data Recovery Research Design and Methodology. In B. A. Houk, K. A. Miller, & E. R. Oksanen (Eds.), The Gatlin Site (41KR621): Investigating Archaic Lifeways on the Southern Edwards Plateau of Central Texas (pp. 5-1-5-16). Austin: Texas Department of Transportation.
DOI
2005 Law, W. B. (2005). Stone artefact reduction, mobility, and arid zone settlement models: a case study from Puritjarra rockshelter, Central Australia. In C. Clarkson, & L. Lamb (Eds.), Lithics 'down Under' Australian Perspectives on Lithic Reduction, Use and Classification (Vol. British Archaeological Reports International Monograph Series (S1408), pp. 81-94). Oxford: British Archaeological Reports Limited.

Year Citation
2018 Law, W., Ostendorf, B., & Lewis, M. (2018). Identifying siliceous ‘tool stone’ resources with advanced remote sensing: a case study from central Australia. In Trans-Tasman Dialogues NZAA and AAA 2018 Conference Programme. Auckland, New Zealand.
2018 Slack, M., Murray, G., Ewan, A., Pervan, J., Law, W. B., Strano, A., & Stevens, G. (2018). Reconstructing a peopled landscape in the Pilbara. In Trans-Tasman Dialogues 2018 NZAA and AAA Conference Programme. Auckland, New Zealand.
2015 Law, W. B., Slack, M. J., Solomon, T., & Long, T. (2015). A Geospatial and Geoarchaeological Site Location Model of Aboriginal Stone Arrangements in the Central Pilbara. In AAA Conference Programme. Fremantle, Western Australia.
2015 Slack, M. J., Gliganic, L., Law, W. B., & Solomon, T. (2015). Pre-Glacial Settlement of the Eastern Pilbara - The Nyiyaparli Rockshelter Research Project. In AAA Conference Programme. Fremantle, WA.
2013 Law, W. B. (2013). Is there a correlation between the emergence of backed artefact technologies and mid-Holocene climate change in the Pilbara?. In AAA Conference Programme. Wollongong, New South Wales.
2009 Law, W. B., & Cropper, D. N. (2009). The Holocene Archaeological Record at Hope Downs, Western Australia. In AAA Conference Programme. Adelaide, South Australia.
2009 Cropper, D. N., & Law, W. B. (2009). The Pleistocene Archaeological Record at Hope Downs, Western Australia. In AAA Conference Programme. Adelaide, South Australia.
2008 Law, W. B. (2008). PAD3 Rockshelter: A Holocene Rockshelter from the Pilbara, WA. In SAA Abstract Archive. Vancouver, Canada.
2004 Houk, B. A., & Law, W. B. (2004). Excavations at 41KR621, a Stratified Site in Kerr County, Texas. In TAS Abstract Program. College Station, Texas.
2000 Law, W. B. (2000). Measuring Stone Artefact Reduction in Central Australia. In NASC Conference Programme. Adelaide, South Australia.
1999 Law, W. B. (1999). Transformations in Stone Artefact Reduction at a Central Australian Rockshelter. In AAA-Mandurah Conference Programme. Mandurah.

Year Citation
2020 Law, W. B., & Lewis, M. (2020). I made bushfire maps from satellite data, and found a glaring gap in Australia’s preparedness. The Conversation.
2020 Law, W. B., & Lewis, M. (2020). University of Adelaide Researchers Raise Awareness on the Importance of Satellite Imagery for Mapping Bushfire Impacts. Environment Institute Blog.

Date Role Membership Country
2020 - ongoing Member Earth Observation Australia Inc. Australia
2015 - ongoing Member Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute Australia
2004 - ongoing Member Society of American Archaeology United States
1998 - ongoing Member Australian Archaeological Association Australia

Date Office Name Institution Country
2017 - 2019 Secretary Australian Archaeological Association Australia

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