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• 1. [Article] Structure from Motion Elevation Model for Adding Topographic Correction to Ground Penetrating Radar

  High resolution elevation models have become a standard tool in environmental, geological and archaeological investigations, however; the cost of acquiring Lidar in remote areas, on small project sites ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Structure from Motion Elevation Model for Adding Topographic Correction to Ground Penetrating Radar Author: Mowbray, Leslie A Year: 2015 High resolution elevation models have become a standard tool in environmental, geological and archaeological investigations, however; the cost of acquiring Lidar in remote areas, on small project sites or over repeated time intervals remains prohibitively expensive. Here, open-source software and GIS are used to create a digital elevation model (DEM) from aerial photos in a process known as Structure from Motion (SfM). This process is a fraction of the cost of Lidar acquisition, and is shown to produce a model with comparable resolution. The photos used here were taken from a camera hung from a balloon flown at Mickey Springs in the Alvord Desert, SE Oregon. The model was georeferenced by a combination of handheld GPS and total-station-surveyed ground control points (GCPs). As a proof-of-concept, DEM-derived elevation profiles are compared to total-station-surveyed elevation profiles (independent of the GCPs) and used to apply topographic correction to ground penetrating radar (GPR) transects. The results of this study show that SfM-derived DEMs can be used to topographically correct dense grids of GPR, or be used to add topography to other subsurface investigations such as resistivity or seismic surveys, saving time in the field. Title: Structure from Motion Elevation Model for Adding Topographic Correction to Ground Penetrating Radar Author: Mowbray, Leslie A Year: 2015 High resolution elevation models have become a standard tool in environmental, geological and archaeological investigations, however; the cost of acquiring Lidar in remote areas, on small project sites or over repeated time intervals remains prohibitively expensive. Here, open-source software and GIS are used to create a digital elevation model (DEM) from aerial photos in a process known as Structure from Motion (SfM). This process is a fraction of the cost of Lidar acquisition, and is shown to produce a model with comparable resolution. The photos used here were taken from a camera hung from a balloon flown at Mickey Springs in the Alvord Desert, SE Oregon. The model was georeferenced by a combination of handheld GPS and total-station-surveyed ground control points (GCPs). As a proof-of-concept, DEM-derived elevation profiles are compared to total-station-surveyed elevation profiles (independent of the GCPs) and used to apply topographic correction to ground penetrating radar (GPR) transects. The results of this study show that SfM-derived DEMs can be used to topographically correct dense grids of GPR, or be used to add topography to other subsurface investigations such as resistivity or seismic surveys, saving time in the field. Close