Jane Cox brought up the question of a distinction between remote sensing
and geophysical survey.  While non-invasive survey techniques can all be
called "remote sensing,"  the term is often used to refer only to
"examination of earth features from a distant platform situated above a
target area, such as obtained from a high altitude aircraft or satellite"
(Heimmer and De Vore 1995).  "Geophysical survey" refers to near surface,
high resolution methods such as magnetometers, resistivity meters, ground
penetrating radar.  Geophysical surveys are a standard part of many
archaeological projects (including cultural resource management) in
Britain, but still practically unknown here, although there are a few of
us using geophysical techniques on North American sites.  Three good
sources of information on recent trends in geophysical survey come to
mind:  Anthony Clark's "Seeing Beneath the Soil: Prospecting Methods in
Archaeology" (1990. B.T. Batsford, Ltd);   Don Heimmer and Steven L.
DeVore, "Near-Surface, High Resolution Geophysical Methods for Cultural
Resource Management and Archeological Investigations," National Park
Service, Interagency Archeological Services, 1995;  and a site on the
World Wide Web -- The English Heritage Geophysical Survey Database
(http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/SDB/).  This Web site includes a section of
Hypertext reports of geophysical surveys from a number of sites in England
and Scotland, including sites where the techniques were very successful
and sites where the techniques were not effective (and why).  It might
also help to show why the Time Team might have been surprised at the
absence of geophysical survey techniques in archaeology in the United
States.
 
While I am a beginner in using geophysical survey techniques (Magnetomer
and resistivity meter) here in North Carolina, I would be glad to discuss
them over email with anybody who might want to follow it up.
 
Tom Hargrove