Laser signals via aerial LIDAR (light detection and ranging) permit a twin-engine aircraft to map ancient Caracol in Belize in Central America in a matter of days, surpassing mapping results obtained by on-the-ground mapping over two and a half decades by the archaeological husband-and-wife team of Arlen F. Chase and Diane Z. Chase.
For the story see John Noble Wilford at the New York Times in Using Laser to Map Ancient Civilization in a Matter of Days.