High-resolution laser imaging provides a means
to model the 3D geometry of fossil tracks in the
field with high accuracy. This represents a
considerable advance for the science of
vertebrate ichnology in which traditional field
methods suffer from a significant degree of
abstraction and lack the resolution required to
interpret tracks quantitatively. 3D models
provide additional morphometric information
and allow the application of new analytical
tools unique to the digital environment. The
method will enable fossil track morphometrics
to develop into an iterative process that
combines 3D visualization and multivariate
statistical methods, blending qualitative and
quantitative approaches and allowing track
morphologies to be compared holistically.