Recent remote sensing applications for hydro and morphodynamic monitoring and modelling

It is not new to recognise that data from remote sensing platforms is transforming the way we characterise and analyse our environment. The ability to collect continuous data spanning spatial scales now allows geomorphological research in a data rich environment and this special issue (coming just 7 years after the 2010 special issue of ESPL associated with the remote sensing of rivers) highlights the considerable research effort being made to exploit this information, into new understanding of geomorphic form and process. The 2010 special issue on the remote sensing of rivers noted that fluvial remote sensing papers made up some 14% of the total river related papers in ESPL. A similar review of the papers up to 2017 reveals that this figure has increased to around 25% with a recent proliferation of articles utilising satellite based data and structure from motion derived data. It is interesting to note, however that many studies published to date are proof of concept, concentrating on confirming the accuracy of the remotely sensed data at the expense of generating new insights and ideas on fluvial form and function. Data is becoming ever more accurate and researchers should now be concentrating on analysing these early data sets to develop increased geomorphic insight challenging paradigms and moving the science forward. The prospect of this occurring is increased by the fact that many of the new remote sensed platforms allow accurate spatial data to be collected cheaply and efficiently. This is providing the individual researcher or small research grouping with tremendous opportunity to move the science of fluvial geomorphology forward unconstrained to a large degree of the need to secure substantial research funding. Fluvial geomorphologists have never before been in such a liberated position! As techniques and analytical skills continue to improve it is inevitable that Marcus and Fondstad's (2010) prediction that remotely sensed data will revolutionising our understanding of geomorphological form and process will prove true, altering our ideas on the very nature of system functioning in the process

Suitability of Low Cost Commercial Off-the-Shelf Aerial Platforms and Consumer Grade Digital Cameras for Small Format Aerial Photography

Many research projects require the use of aerial images. Wetlands evaluation, crop monitoring, wildfire management, environmental change detection, and forest inventory are but a few of the applications of aerial imagery. Low altitude Small Format Aerial Photography (SFAP) is a bridge between satellite and man-carrying aircraft image acquisition and ground-based photography. The author’s project evaluates digital images acquired using low cost commercial digital cameras and standard model airplanes to determine their suitability for remote sensing applications. Images from two different sites were obtained. Several photo missions were flown over each site, acquiring images in the visible and near infrared electromagnetic bands. Images were sorted and analyzed to select those with the least distortion, and blended together with Microsoft Image Composite Editor. By selecting images taken within minutes apart, radiometric qualities of the images were virtually identical, yielding no blend lines in the composites. A commercial image stitching program, Autopano Pro, was purchased during the later stages of this study. Autopano Pro was often able to mosaic photos that the free Image Composite Editor was unable to combine. Using telemetry data from an onboard data logger, images were evaluated to calculate scale and spatial resolution. ERDAS ER Mapper and ESRI ArcGIS were used to rectify composite images. Despite the limitations inherent in consumer grade equipment, images of high spatial resolution were obtained. Mosaics of as many as 38 images were created, and the author was able to record detailed aerial images of forest and wetland areas where foot travel was impractical or impossible

Evaluating consumer grade UAVs and their potential applications and implications in Ontario consulting archaeology

Archaeological investigation is an inherently destructive process that threatens permanent data loss if archaeological sites are inadequately recorded. While archaeologists strive to develop innovative methods to ensure adequate data capture, they are often inhibited by funding and training in new methodologies. Limited funding is exacerbated in a consulting archaeology framework in Ontario where budgets are competitively determined and offer little flexibility or incentive to exceed the minimum standards enforced by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport (MTCS). This thesis critically examines consumer-grade unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as a potential site recording and prospecting tool. Through four case studies, the UAVs efficacy is evaluated and UAV-derived data products are outlined to determine whether the aerial platform is a suitable technological innovation that increases data capture while remaining affordable for Ontario consultant archaeologists

Penilaian ketepatan kamera digital berasaskan ketinggian penerbangan menggunakan pesawat tanpa pemandu untuk tujuan pemetaan

Pesawat Udara Tanpa Pemandu (UAV) adalah salah satu cara alternatif untuk meringankan proses memperoleh data dengan kos operasi dan pembuatan yang lebih rendah serta mudah digunakan. UAV digunakan secara meluas dalam pelbagai bidang seperti ketenteraan, arkeologi, pertanian dan penyelidikan saintifik. Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk menilai ketepatan kamera berdigit berasaskan ketinggian penerbangan yang berbeza menggunakan UAV untuk tujuan pemetaan, dengan memberi tumpuan kepada pemetaan topografi dan pengemaskinian peta. Dalam kajian ini, perisian Agisoft Photoscan Professional, AutoCAD Civil 3D dan ArcGIS 10 digunakan untuk memproses imej UAV dan membuat analisis. Titik Kawalan Bumi (TKB) dan Titik Semakan (TS) telah diwujudkan menggunakan kaedah Sistem Penentududukan Sejagat secara Kinematik Masa Hakiki (RTK-GPS). Empat hasil ditemui dari kajian ini iaitu ortofoto, Model Rupabumi Digital (DTM), garis kontor dan peta topografi. Analisis terhadap hasil kajian dibuat berdasarkan tiga ketinggian penerbangan yang berbeza iaitu 250 meter, 300 meter dan 350 meter dan dua resolusi kamera yang berbeza iaitu 12 megapiksel dan 24 megapiksel. Keputusan kajian ini menunjukkan kejituan planimetri dan ketinggian hasil fotogrametri dari imej UAV yang diproses menggunakan 25 titik TKB dan 10 TS. Nilai Ralat Min Punca Kuasa Dua (RMSE) ortofoto pada ketinggian penerbangan 250 meter adalah U = ± 0.128 meter, T = ± 0.154 meter dan H = ± 0.256 meter. Pada ketinggian penerbangan 300 meter, nilai RMSE adalah U = ± 0.33 meter, T = ±0.343 meter dan H = ± 0.454 meter, sementara pada 350 meter nilainya adalah U = ± 0.403 meter, T = ± 0.378 meter dan H = ± 0.482 meter. Keputusan kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa ketepatan planimetri yang dicapai (U, T) adalah kurang dari satu meter manakala ketepatan ketinggian (H) adalah dua kali ganda nilainya berbanding nilai ketepatan planimetri. Hasilnya juga menunjukkan bahawa ketepatan planimetri dan ketinggian bertambah baik apabila resolusi kamera berdigit meningkat. Daripada kajian ini, dapat disimpulkan bahawa sistem UAV berpotensi besar untuk digunakan untuk tujuan pemetaan

3D Recording and Interpretation for Maritime Archaeology

This open access peer-reviewed volume was inspired by the UNESCO UNITWIN Network for Underwater Archaeology International Workshop held at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia in November 2016. Content is based on, but not limited to, the work presented at the workshop which was dedicated to 3D recording and interpretation for maritime archaeology. The volume consists of contributions from leading international experts as well as up-and-coming early career researchers from around the globe. The content of the book includes recording and analysis of maritime archaeology through emerging technologies, including both practical and theoretical contributions. Topics include photogrammetric recording, laser scanning, marine geophysical 3D survey techniques, virtual reality, 3D modelling and reconstruction, data integration and Geographic Information Systems. The principal incentive for this publication is the ongoing rapid shift in the methodologies of maritime archaeology within recent years and a marked increase in the use of 3D and digital approaches. This convergence of digital technologies such as underwater photography and photogrammetry, 3D sonar, 3D virtual reality, and 3D printing has highlighted a pressing need for these new methodologies to be considered together, both in terms of defining the state-of-the-art and for consideration of future directions. As a scholarly publication, the audience for the book includes students and researchers, as well as professionals working in various aspects of archaeology, heritage management, education, museums, and public policy. It will be of special interest to those working in the field of coastal cultural resource management and underwater archaeology but will also be of broader interest to anyone interested in archaeology and to those in other disciplines who are now engaging with 3D recording and visualization

Coastal Eye: Monitoring Coastal Environments Using Lightweight Drones

Monitoring coastal environments is a challenging task. This is because of both the logistical demands involved with in-situ data collection and the dynamic nature of the coastal zone, where multiple processes operate over varying spatial and temporal scales. Remote sensing products derived from spaceborne and airborne platforms have proven highly useful in the monitoring of coastal ecosystems, but often they fail to capture fine scale processes and there remains a lack of cost-effective and flexible methods for coastal monitoring at these scales. Proximal sensing technology such as lightweight drones and kites has greatly improved the ability to capture fine spatial resolution data at user-dictated visit times. These approaches are democratising, allowing researchers and managers to collect data in locations and at defined times themselves. In this thesis I develop our scientific understanding of the application of proximal sensing within coastal environments. The two critical review pieces consolidate disparate information on the application of kites as a proximal sensing platform, and the often overlooked hurdles of conducting drone operations in challenging environments. The empirical work presented then tests the use of this technology in three different coastal environments spanning the land-sea interface. Firstly, I use kite aerial photography and uncertainty-assessed structure-from-motion multi-view stereo (SfM-MVS) processing to track changes in coastal dunes over time. I report that sub-decimetre changes (both erosion and accretion) can be detected with this methodology. Secondly, I used lightweight drones to capture fine spatial resolution optical data of intertidal seagrass meadows. I found that estimations of plant cover were more similar to in-situ measures in sparsely populated than densely populated meadows. Lastly, I developed a novel technique utilising lightweight drones and SfM-MVS to measure benthic structural complexity in tropical coral reefs. I found that structural complexity measures were obtainable from SfM-MVS derived point clouds, but that the technique was influenced by glint type artefacts in the image data. Collectively, this work advances the knowledge of proximal sensing in the coastal zone, identifying both the strengths and weaknesses of its application across several ecosystems.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC

Applications of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) in Hydrology: A Review

In less than two decades, UASs (unmanned aerial systems) have revolutionized the field of hydrology, bridging the gap between traditional satellite observations and ground-based measurements and allowing the limitations of manned aircraft to be overcome. With unparalleled spatial and temporal resolutions and product-tailoring possibilities, UAS are contributing to the acquisition of large volumes of data on water bodies, submerged parameters and their interactions in different hydrological contexts and in inaccessible or hazardous locations. This paper provides a comprehensive review of 122 works on the applications of UASs in surface water and groundwater research with a purpose-oriented approach. Concretely, the review addresses: (i) the current applications of UAS in surface and groundwater studies, (ii) the type of platforms and sensors mainly used in these tasks, (iii) types of products generated from UAS-borne data, (iv) the associated advantages and limitations, and (v) knowledge gaps and future prospects of UASs application in hydrology. The first aim of this review is to serve as a reference or introductory document for all researchers and water managers who are interested in embracing this novel technology. The second aim is to unify in a single document all the possibilities, potential approaches and results obtained by different authors through the implementation of UASs

Operational protocols for the use of drones in marine animal research

The use of drones to study marine animals shows promise for the examination of numerous aspects of their ecology, behaviour, health and movement patterns. However, the responses of some marine phyla to the presence of drones varies broadly, as do the general operational protocols used to study them. Inconsistent methodological approaches could lead to difficulties comparing studies and can call into question the repeatability of research. This review draws on current literature and researchers with a wealth of practical experience to outline the idiosyncrasies of studying various marine taxa with drones. We also outline current best practice for drone operation in marine environments based on the literature and our practical experience in the field. The protocols outlined herein will be of use to researchers interested in incorporating drones as a tool into their research on marine animals and will help form consistent approaches for drone-based studies in the future