On the use of temporal series of L-and X-band SAR data for soil moisture retrieval. Capitanata plain case study

This paper investigates the use of time series of ALOS/PALSAR-1 and COSMO-SkyMed data for the soil moisture retrieval (mv) by means of the SMOSAR algorithm. The application context is the exploitation of mv maps at a moderate spatial and temporal resolution for improving flood/drought monitoring at regional scale. The SAR data were acquired over the Capitanata plain in Southern Italy, over which ground campaigns were carried out in 2007, 2010 and 2011. The analysis shows that the mv retrieval accuracy is 5%-7% m^3/m^3 at L- and X band, although the latter is restricted to a use over nearly bare soil only

Desarrollo de una herramienta software para el monitoreo de cultivos a partir de la integración de imágenes ópticas y SAR COSMO-SkyMed

Tesis (Magister en Aplicaciones Espaciales de Alerta y Respuesta Temprana a Emergencias)--Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía, Física y Computación, 2019.Maestría conjunta entre FAMAF y el Instituto de Altos Estudios Espaciales "Mario Gulich" CONAE/UNC.En este trabajo de tesis se desarrolló una herramienta software que permite al usuario cargar, pre-procesar y analizar los resultados derivados de un conjunto heterogéneo de datos satelitales y archivos vectoriales con el fin de evaluar la capacidad de monitoreo del crecimiento de las especies agrícolas utilizando tanto imágenes ópticas como de radar (SAR), en particular de la constelación COSMO-SkyMed®. Para la implementación, se utilizó el ambiente de programación Matlab®, y para facilitar su uso, se desarrolló la herramienta en forma de una interfaz gráfica con su manual de usuario. La herramienta desarrollada fue evaluada comparando las salidas que presenta al usuario la misma herramienta con los resultados obtenidos a través de otros softwares comerciales sobre los mismos datos, a fin de corroborar la validez de los algoritmos implementados en la aplicación. Ambas pruebas de validación comprobaron la confiabilidad de la interfaz. Además, se presentaron los resultados que arroja la herramienta para una caso de uso particular. Basados en los resultados obtenidos, podemos concluir que la herramienta desarrollada resulta fiable y útil para realizar estudios que impliquen la integración de datos ópticos y de radar para el monitoreo de las especies agrícolas. Tanto la aplicación desarrollada como el correspondiente código son de libre acceso para cualquier usuario que quiera utilizarlos en sus estudios.In this thesis work, it has been developed a software tool that allows a user to upload, pre-process and analyze the results derived form an heterogeneous set of satellite data and vector files in order to evaluate the growth monitoring capability of the agricultural species using both optical and radar (SAR) images. In particular, the tool was used to evaluate the crop monitoring capability of the COSMO-SkyMed® constellation SAR data. For the implementation, the Matlab® programming environment was used, and to facilitate its use, a graphic interface and its user manual were also developed. The developed tool was evaluated by comparing the outputs presented to the user by the developed interface with the results obtained through other commercial software on the same data, in order to corroborate the validity of the algorithms implemented in the application. Both validation tests verified the reliability of the interface. Once the validity of the application was developed and tested, the results of the tool for a particular use case were analyzed. Based on the results obtained, we can conclude that the tool developed is reliable and useful for studies that involve the integration of optical and radar data for the monitoring of agricultural species. Both the developed application and the corresponding code are available so that any user can use it in their studies.Fil: Mastronardi, Giovanni. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía, Física y Computación; Argentina.Fil: Mastronardi, Giovanni. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Altos Estudios Espaciales Mario Gulich; Argentina.Fil: Mastronardi, Giovanni. Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales. Instituto de Altos Estudios Espaciales Mario Gulich; Argentina

Investigation of the Luco dei Marsi DSGSD revealing the first evidence of a basal shear zone in the central Apennine belt (Italy)

Deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSDs) show a wide range of geomorphological characteristics and kinematic behaviours. In many cases, deforming rock masses move on a continuous surface or a thick basal shear zone (BSZ) overlying the stable bedrock. The nature of this boundary is a significant issue in scientific debates since examples of BSZs have been observed or inferred in some DSGSDs worldwide. In the central Apennines, although several cases of DSGSDs have been described in recent decades, no evidence of BSZs has been documented thus far. This work presents the first case of a BSZ found in the region at the bottom of a large-scale gravitational deformation that affects the Mesozoic-Cenozoic carbonate ridge overhanging the Luco dei Marsi village (Abruzzi region). The BSZ consists of several metres-thick, cataclastic breccia developed within middle-Upper Cretaceous biodetritic limestone. The breccia level is exposed for approximately 200 m with a subhorizontal geometry and shows severe rock damage and weathering. The DSGSD hosting the BSZ affects an NNW-SSE-oriented and wide Miocene anticline whose eastern limb is dismembered by Pliocene-Quaternary normal faults delimiting the edge of a large Quaternary intermontane basin (the Fucino Basin). Field survey, aerial photointerpretation, and remote sensing (DInSAR technique) analyses outline an active gravity-driven process. This is characterized by several kinds of geomorphological features, including downhill- and uphill-facing scarps, ridge-top depressions, gravitational grabens and trenches in the upper and middle parts of the ridge, and bulging at the toe of the slope. These features, which can be distinguished from tectonic elements due to their shape and extension, are an indication of a high degree of internal deformation and a compound sagging geometry for the Luco dei Marsi DSGSD. The short-term activity of the process was revealed by DInSAR time series covering almost thirty years of satellite datasets, including ERS1/2, ENVISAT, COSMO-SkyMed, and SENTINEL 1 constellations. Strain rates on the order of a few mm/yr were inferred, with a marked difference between different sectors of the DSGSD area. The long-term (y > 102) lifespan of the DSGSD was framed into a multiple-step conceptual model summarizing the Early Pleistocene-Holocene geological evolution of the area. The model results outline the control exercised by extensional tectonics on DSGSD development, as progressive displacements along normal faults in the latest Pleistocene were the cause of lateral unconfinement at the toe of the slope. This work further contributes to the increasing knowledge on DSGSDs in the central Apennines and the understanding of the relationship between deformation features induced by slope morphogenesis, such as the BSZ, and Quaternary tectonics within the mountain belt

Remote sensing applications for the assessment of the geomorphic response of fluvial systems to the Holocene Climate Changes

The general goal of this thesis is the identification and description of the geomorphological responses of the fluvial system to the Holocene Climate Changes, proposing a multi-sensor remote sensing approach. In particular, the specific aim of this work is the improvement of the present knowledge on the Holocene and historical morphodynamics of the Lower Mesopotamian waterscape, especially on the paleo-hydrology of the ancient Tigris-Euphrates fluvial system, focusing on the specific process in the dynamics of the waterscapes which plays a key role in the drainage network evolution in lowland areas. Crevasse splays represent significant geomorphological features for understanding the fluvial morphodynamics in lowland areas where avulsion processes prevail. The southern Mesopotamian Plain is the area where the ancient State of Lagash developed between the prehistoric Ubaid Period (c. 5200 - c. 3500 BC) and the late Parthian era (247 BC - AD 244), representing an ideal case study, where the Italian Archaeological Mission has been recently carried on extensive field-works at Tell Zurghul archaeological site. Here, an interdisciplinary approach, combining field surveys and geomorphological mapping through remote sensing techniques, has been applied for analyzing the function and role of the waterscape on the early civilization. Indeed, the geomorphological analysis through a remote sensing approach and the archaeological surveys are both essential for the reconstruction of a complex environmental system, where landforms due to different morphogenetic processes occur, related to the presence of a wide fluvial-deltaic paleo-system and early human societies. The main aim of the focus on this archaeological site is to contribute to the reconstruction of the surrounding waterscape and know more about waterscape-human interactions during the Holocene. The question of human-waterscape relationship worldwide has been and still is a central topic in geomorphological, environmental, and archaeological research. During the Holocene, the Tigris-Euphrates river system, in the lower sector of the Mesopotamian Plain (Iraq), has been characterized by complex morphodynamics in response to both climate fluctuations and extensive construction of artificial canals, dug since the first human settlements belonging to the Early River Valley Civilizations. The Lower Mesopotamian Plain (LMP) coincides with the southern Tigris and Euphrates deltaic plain, developed starting since the mid Holocene. During the early Holocene, the sea-level rise caused a general and rapid northward shifting of the Persian Gulf shoreline: the maximum marine ingression reached the area where the present towns of Nasiriyah and Al-Amara are located about 6000 yrs BP; after which the widespread progradation of the Tigris and Euphrates delta system accounted for the southward shoreline regression up to the present position. The development of a typical bird-foot delta guaranteed an amount of water indispensable for agriculture, cattle, settlements, and transport. Indeed, the high mobility of the channels and the frequent occurrence of avulsion processes (i.e., levees break and related crevasse splays formation) are the main features typically connected to a multi-channel system, guarantying the water supply through seasonal floods. In the area, the water management during the mid Holocene, digging an extensive network of canals and building several dams, can either improve the socio-economic conditions of a settlement or cause the end of another one. Within a wide floodplain characterized by very low elevation ranges such as the LMP, a remote sensing, multi-sensor approach is a suitable method for identifying the main geomorphological features related to the fluvial avulsion processes, describing the associated morphogenetic processes. Optical and multispectral Landsat 8 satellite images have been processed for computing NDVI and Clay Ratio indices, as well as to extract the Regions of Interest (ROIs) focused on the main features that made up a crevasse splay (i.e., crevasse channel, crevasse levee and crevasse deposit). The spectral signatures from active and abandoned crevasse splays have been extracted and compared among them, adopting four different methods of Supervised Classification. The analysis of the crevasse splays has been integrated with the investigation of the micro-topography leading to recognize the crevasse channels and levees, the upward convexity of the crevasse deposits and the distal or proximal position of the parent channel; the re-classification of different DEM sources, such as the optical AW3D30 and GDEM2 datasets with ground resolution of 1 arcsec (i.e., 30 m cell-1), leads to highlighting the “above-floodplain” topographic configuration of these landforms. The analysis here performed leads to investigating the entire Lower Mesopotamian Plain through both large and medium scale geomorphological investigation, identifying active and abandoned channels, discerning between active and abandoned avulsion processes and distinguishing crevasse channels, levees, and deposits. In like manner, human features are recognized, allowing the evaluation of human-environmental interactions

Geomatics in support of the Common Agriculture Policy

The 2009 Annual Conference was the 15th organised by GeoCAP action of the Joint Research Centre in ISPRA. It was jointly organised with the Italian Agenzia per le erogazioni in agricoltura (AGEA, coordinating organism of the Italian agricultural paying agencies). The Conference covered the 2009 Control with Remote sensing campaign activities and ortho-imagery use in all the CAP management and control procedures. There has been a specific focus on the Land Parcel Identification Systems quality assessment process. The conference was structured over three days ¿ 18th to 20th November. The first day was mainly dedicated to future Common Agriculture Policy perspectives and futures challenges in Agriculture. The second was shared in technical parallel sessions addressing topics like: LPIS Quality Assurance and geodatabases features; new sensors, new software, and their use within the CAP; and Good Agriculture and Environmental Conditions (GAEC) control methods and implementing measures. The last day was dedicated to the review of the 2009 CwRS campaign and the preparation of the 2010 one. The presentations were made available on line, and this publication represents the best presentations judged worthy of inclusion in a conference proceedings aimed at recording the state of the art of technology and practice of that time.JRC.DG.G.3-Monitoring agricultural resource

Clasificación de cultivos en la provincia de Buenos Aires mediante la utilización de imágenes SAR e imágenes ópticas

Tesis (Magister en Aplicaciones Espaciales de Alerta y Respuesta Temprana a Emergencias)--Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía, Física y Computación, 2017.Maestría conjunta entre FAMAF y el Instituto de Altos Estudios Espaciales "Mario Gulich" CONAE/UNC.La tesis de maestría presenta tres aplicaciones obtenidas a partir de información satelital que son de interés de la administración fiscal de la Provincia de Buenos Aires: La detección remota de cultivos y estimación de su superficie cultivada, la clasificación supervisada de cultivos a través de imágenes satelitales ópticas y por último, la utilización de imágenes SAR (Radar de Apertura Sintética) para clasificar cultivos. Se utilizaron series temporales de imágenes SAR Cosmo SkyMed, Sentinel-1 A y Landsat 8 – OLI, para clasificar de manera supervisada cultivos de interés en la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Se probaron distintas combinaciones de imágenes SAR y Landsat 8 para clasificar cultivos. Se utilizaron los clasificadores de Máxima verosimilitud, Árboles de decisión (DT), “Random Forest”, “Gradient Boosted Tree”, “Support Vector Machine”, “Neural Network” para clasificar imágenes SAR con el objetivo de confeccionar mapas de cultivos en tres zonas de la provincia de Buenos Aires. Se obtuvieron precisiones de entre 89% y 92% en todas las zonas de estudio. Las clasificaciones sobre imágenes SAR obtuvieron mejores precisiones con clasificadores no paramétricos en dos de tres casos. El clasificador “Random Forest” presentó el mejor desempeño. Por último, se ha propuesto una metodología de trabajo para incorporar imágenes SAR a los productos cartográficos de la agencia de Recaudación de la provincia de Buenos Aires.Fil: Di Paolo, Luciano Elías. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía, Física y Computación; Argentina.Fil: Di Paolo, Luciano Elías. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba - Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales. Instituto de Altos Estudios Espaciales Mario Gulich; Argentina

Clasificación de cultivos en la provincia de Buenos Aires mediante la utilización de imágenes SAR e imágenes ópticas

Tesis (Magister en Aplicaciones Espaciales de Alerta y Respuesta Temprana a Emergencias)--Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía, Física y Computación, 2017.Maestría conjunta entre FAMAF y el Instituto de Altos Estudios Espaciales "Mario Gulich" CONAE/UNC.La tesis de maestría presenta tres aplicaciones obtenidas a partir de información satelital que son de interés de la administración fiscal de la Provincia de Buenos Aires: La detección remota de cultivos y estimación de su superficie cultivada, la clasificación supervisada de cultivos a través de imágenes satelitales ópticas y por último, la utilización de imágenes SAR (Radar de Apertura Sintética) para clasificar cultivos. Se utilizaron series temporales de imágenes SAR Cosmo SkyMed, Sentinel-1 A y Landsat 8 – OLI, para clasificar de manera supervisada cultivos de interés en la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Se probaron distintas combinaciones de imágenes SAR y Landsat 8 para clasificar cultivos. Se utilizaron los clasificadores de Máxima verosimilitud, Árboles de decisión (DT), “Random Forest”, “Gradient Boosted Tree”, “Support Vector Machine”, “Neural Network” para clasificar imágenes SAR con el objetivo de confeccionar mapas de cultivos en tres zonas de la provincia de Buenos Aires. Se obtuvieron precisiones de entre 89% y 92% en todas las zonas de estudio. Las clasificaciones sobre imágenes SAR obtuvieron mejores precisiones con clasificadores no paramétricos en dos de tres casos. El clasificador “Random Forest” presentó el mejor desempeño. Por último, se ha propuesto una metodología de trabajo para incorporar imágenes SAR a los productos cartográficos de la agencia de Recaudación de la provincia de Buenos Aires.Fil: Di Paolo, Luciano Elías. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía, Física y Computación; Argentina.Fil: Di Paolo, Luciano Elías. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba - Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales. Instituto de Altos Estudios Espaciales Mario Gulich; Argentina

Assessment of multi-temporal, multi-sensor radar and ancillary spatial data for grasslands monitoring in Ireland using machine learning approaches

Accurate inventories of grasslands are important for studies of carbon dynamics, biodiversity conservation and agricultural management. For regions with persistent cloud cover the use of multi-temporal synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data provides an attractive solution for generating up-to-date inventories of grasslands. This is even more appealing considering the data that will be available from upcoming missions such as Sentinel-1 and ALOS-2. In this study, the performance of three machine learning algorithms; Random Forests (RF), Support Vector Machines (SVM) and the relatively underused Extremely Randomised Trees (ERT) is evaluated for discriminating between grassland types over two large heterogeneous areas of Ireland using multi-temporal, multi-sensor radar and ancillary spatial datasets. A detailed accuracy assessment shows the efficacy of the three algorithms to classify different types of grasslands. Overall accuracies ≥ 88.7% (with kappa coefficient of 0.87) were achieved for the single frequency classifications and maximum accuracies of 97.9% (kappa coefficient of 0.98) for the combined frequency classifications. For most datasets, the ERT classifier outperforms SVM and RF

Non-Invasive Survey Techniques to Study Nuragic Archaeological Sites: The Nanni Arrù Case Study (Sardinia, Italy)

The Italian territory of Sardinia Island has an enormous cultural and identity heritage from the Pre-Nuragic and Nuragic periods, with archaeological evidence of more than 7000 sites. However, many other undiscovered remnants of these ancient times are believed to be present. In this context, it can be helpful to analyze data from different types of sensors on a single information technology platform, to better identify and perimeter hidden archaeological structures. The main objective of the study is to define a methodology that through the processing, analysis, and comparison of data obtained using different non-invasive survey techniques could help to identify and document archaeological sites not yet or only partially investigated. The non-invasive techniques include satellite, unmanned aerial vehicle, and geophysical surveys that have been applied at the nuraghe Nanni Arrù, one of the most important finds in recent times. The complexity of this ancient megalithic edifice and its surroundings represents an ideal use case. The surveys showed some anomalies in the areas south–east and north–east of the excavated portion of the Nanni Arrù site. The comparison between data obtained with the different survey techniques used in the study suggests that in areas where anomalies have been confirmed by multiple data types, buried structures may be present. To confirm this hypothesis, further studies are believed necessary, for example, additional geophysical surveys in the excavated part of the site