Use of aerial photographs in the study of watershed characteristics

Watershed characteristics are studied using aerial photographs for two streams (choes) in the KANDI area of Punjab. Characteristic mapped include, soil erosion, landuse, drainage, topography. The photointerpretation was supplemented with field checks of the interpreted data. The interpreted data shows large areas of soil eroded and the development of bad land due to large scale cutting of the vegetation both in the Siwalik Hills and KANDI area.     

A methodology for semi detailed soil surveys using medium scale aerial photographs

A methodology for the preparation of semi detailed soil maps using medium scale aerial photographs for an area of about 3600 ha in Merida area, Spain is presented. The new concepts such as ‘Basic Land Units’, ‘Soil Consociation’ and ‘Soil Set’ developed by Elbersen (1976) were adopted for this study to see their utility for the preparation of semidetailed soil maps which can be used for land evaluation, land classification and also for making prodictions about the feasibility of a particular project for rural development plannning purposes. Basic land units and their subdivisions like major and minor compo-nents were used for the delineation of interpretation units. Mapping units, viz, Soil Consoication, Soil Complex and miscellaneous land type were used for mapping soils. Soils were classified upto family level and shown as subgroups in the 1:50,000 scale soil map. Soils were mapped as soil sets per basic land unit per subgroup. A model legend for use in the preparation of seimdetailed physiographic cum soil maps is given which is in terms of physiography and Soil Taxonomy qualified by soil sets.     

Growing stock with aerial photographs

For assessment of growing stock, the role of aerial photographs mairly consists of volume class stratification, knowing proportion of various stratum and in providing layout for ground sample plots along with their precise location on the the ground. Plain Sal stratum was stratified into three volume classes on the basis of volume stereograms and standard deviation in each stratum estimated on the basis of reconnaissance data. 63 ground plots were needed for ± 5 cum (E = ± 5) accuracy for optimum allocation. Volume in 0.1 hectare circular plots was obtained from measurement of all trees above 10 cm dbh. The mean volume was 124 cum per hectare ± 9.55 cum at 95% probability level. A comparison with Working Plan figures revealed a close similarity. Advantage in time and cost for getting information on growing stock by the use of aerial photographs have been highlighted.     

Colour infrared aerial photographs as data base for reconnaissance soil mapping and land suitability grouping

Colour infrared and panchromatic B & W aerial photographs at 1∶25,000 scale over part of Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh were interpreted stereoscopically for delineating soilscape units. Soils and land properties were evaluated for suitability of the land for agriculture i.e. paddy and wheat. The results indicate that the relative case in delineating physiographic units offered by colour infrared air-photos does not commensurate with their cost. In the study area, 19.57 and 14.78 per cent area have been found to be suitable for paddy and wheat, respectively.     

Co-registration and correlation of aerial photographs for ground deformation measurements

We describe and test a procedure to accurately co-register and correlate multi-temporal aerial images. We show that this procedure can be used to measure surface deformation, and explore the performance and limitations of the technique. The algorithms were implemented in a software package, COSI-Corr (available from the Caltech Tectonics Observatory website). The technique is validated on several case examples of co-seismic deformation. First, we measure co-seismic ground deformation due to the 1992, Mw 7.3, Landers, California, earthquake from 1 m resolution aerial photography of the National Aerial Photography Program (United States Geological Survey). The fault ruptures are clearly detected, including small kilometric segments with fault slip as small as a few tens of centimeters. We also obtained similar performance from images of the fault ruptures produced by the 1999 Mw 7.1 Hector Mine, California, earthquake. The measurements are shown to be biased due to the inaccuracy of the Digital Elevation Model, film distortions, scanning artifacts, and ignorance of ground displacements at the location of the tie points used to co-register the multi-temporal images. We show that some of these artifacts can be identified and corrected.     

Mass movement studies in Kosi catchment,mepal — A semi quantitative approach using aerial photographs

An area of about 5000 sq. km. in the upper parts of river basin of Sun Kosi falling in Nepal has been studied using medium and small scale aerial photographs of two different dates. The temporal variations in relation to mass movements that occur in the study area have been demarcated. The areas which have undergone increased erosion by slope failure and gully erosion over a period of 22 years are evaluated. An attempt has been made to quantify the increase in area of mass movement taking the advantage of three dimensional model of terrain as seen in the aerial photos.     

Use of aerial photo-interpretation techniques for watershed management studies in drought prone areas

In the semiarid regions of the country a large part is subjected to drought in the years of scanty rainfall. In order to improve agricultural conditions of these regions soil and water management programmes are taken up Use of aerial photo-interpretation techniques can be successfully employed for data collection purposes for these areas. The important diciplines are Geology, Geomorphology, Soils, Hydrology and Land Use where aerial Photographs can be most commonly used. A brief decription of drought prone area in Gokak Taluq of Belgaum district is given which demonstrates the basic interrelationship of physiographic unit with geological conditions, soils and hydrology. A scientific planning of drought prone area requires control measures on watershed basis. Accurate delineation of watersheds and subwatershed is feasible through the use of aerial photographs, which also serve as base maps for compilation of other kinds of data as well.     

Misleading information from direct interpretation of Geometrically Incorrect aerial photographs

Remote sensing represents a powerful method to study the change of several phenomena over time. However, useful input data (for example, aerial photos) can produce misleading information if an inadequate geometric correction is applied. Among mathematical models used for this type of correction, orthorectification (differential correction) seems to be the only one that guarantees accurate results. However, many authors are still basing their results on incorrectly transformed images. This phenomenon is especially due to the incidence of several user-friendly tools and interfaces for the rectification of images. This paper tests both polynomial rectification and orthorectification. Aerial photography of 1954 of the same area was acquired and polynomial rectification and orthorectification were applied, using a 1998 orthophoto as a base. An unsupervised classification was performed by utilising the nearest neighbour method for the resampling of images. The area occupied by each class was calculated. A multitemporal analysis was then performed, considering the overlap between the 1954 orthophoto and the 1998 orthophoto as the base of reference. An overestimate up to 21% of class area was found. When multitemporal analysis was carried out, an overestimate up to 100% of class area change was found.     

Use of aerial photographs in mapping alkali soils with respect to their management in a part of north-west India

An area of 6000 ha covering four villages was adopted by the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal under Operational Research Project to transfer the technology of alkali soil reclamation in the farmer’s fields. This necessitated mapping and characterisation of alkali soils of the area. Use of black and white photographs in 1∶25,000 scale proved effective in delineating alkali soils quickly and inexpensively. The physiography and photo elements like tone, landuse, drainage and parcelling facilitated identification and demarcation of four mapping units viz; P₁, P₃, P₄ and C. The unit P represented nearly flat upland alluvial plain while C represented low lying filled up old channel. The alkali soils confined mainly to the upland plain were recorded in white toned barren stretches and accounted for 36.6 percent of surveyed area. In addition, patchy occurrence of alkali soils admist the cultivated fields giving mottled appearance on the photographs was noticed over 11.3 percent area. In this case the photo scale proved limiting for demarcating alkali and non-alkali soils separately. The prtactical utility of the soil inventory in planning reclamation and management of alkali soil in the area has also been discussed.     

Determination of run-off factor of the Tons Catchment using aerial photographs

Run-off is an important element of the hydrologic studies of any given basin. As such the estimation of the run-off factor of a catchment becomes imperative for determination of the total quantity of its surface run-off. The traditional ground survey methods of hydrologic studies of river basins are gradually getting replaced by more economical and reasonably accurate methods mostly based on aerial photographs. This paper deals with an experiment carried out on the Tons Catchment for determination of its run-off factor with the help of aerial photographs using the photo-interpretation and analysis techniques. The resultant values of the surface runoff have compared very well with the observed flow at Kisau gauging station. This indicates that a suitable methodology can be developed to estimate the discharge of the catchment of Indian rivers, where the run-off data is not available, with reasonable accuracy using the aerial photographs.     

Geomorphological monitoring of a highly dynamic estuary using oblique aerial photographs

Abstract

Bad weather in many countries limits the use of optical satellite imageries in spatial and temporal monitoring of the environment. In this paper, a series of low-altitude oblique aerial photos taken on daily, weekly and monthly intervals were used to monitor the geomorphological changes in the upper part of the Mersey Estuary, northwestern England. This low-altitude aerial photo methodology reveals itself to be a satisfying compromise between cost, accuracy and difficulty of implementation. It offered a large amount of information on a spatial and temporal scale aiding in the understanding of channel mobility. This was an important consideration in the sitting and installation of new bridge pier foundations. This series of oblique aerial photos was used in a dynamic model to determine the migration of the ebb channel and was effective in identifying the main route of flow. Few uncertainties were encountered and the level of accuracy achieved in resolving these uncertainties in the images was in the range from 40 cm to a maximum of 1.7 m. This was compared with historical navigation charts and showed good correlation. Further applications are required to improve the quality of the data output from these images and the development of the technique.     

Role of aerial photographs and landsat imagery in forest resources surveys

Many of the data needs for efficient management of forest resources can be met by aerial photographs. Commercially important tree species can be distinguished from other less important miscellaneous species with the help of aerial photographs. Forests can be classified according to their height and density classes. Aerial photographs have become indispensable for mapping of forests and preparation of forest inventories. A comparison of interpretation results obtained from landsat imagery and aerial photographs (1 ∶ 10,000 Black and White panchromatic photography) with respect to forestry interpretation is given. It is pointed out that the imagery obtained from satellities can be used for reconnaissance of a region and for deciding the priorities for carrying out more detailed surveys of forest resources with the help of air photointerpretation techniques     

Environmental evaluation of medchal taluk,Andhra Pradesh using aerial photographs

The human interaction with nature in the form of improper exploitation and unplanned utilisation of natural resources has caused a lot of environmental imbalance in nature. The aerial photographs and other repetitive orbital remote sensing data provide valuable information in identification and surveying of such environmentally imbalanced zones. In this study the aerial photographs were used in identifying such vulnerable areas and some remedial measures are suggested for the planned exploitation of natural resources without damaging the environment.     

Use oe aerial photograph for study of soil salinity and landscape relationship in parts of Haryana

In order to know the development of soil salinity and alkalinity in relation to landform, a systematic approach has been adopted by using aerial photo-interpretation techniques followed by field checks. The major land form units identified in the area are (i) alluvial upland (ii) low land (iii) back-swamp areas (iv) remanent horstland (v) interfiuve (vi) abandoned channel (vii) plain undifferentiated and (viii) plain with aeolian activity. salt accumulation is pronounced in landform units (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) due to configurating slopes and basement ridge control, whereas in landform units (v) and (vi), a patchy distribution of salinity has been found. Landform units (vii) and (viii) are free from this hazard The elements of landscape have controlled the distriburion of salts within each landscape.     

Delineating ravinous areas on aerial photographs and satellite Imagery-A comparative study

Extensive areas along Yamuna, Chambal and their tributaries in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have been severely eroded forming ravines of various depths. These areas offer great potential for the development of agriculture and forestry after reclamation. In order that they are reclaimed and managed properly, precise data on their nature and extent are needed. Morphometric analysis of ravine lands along Chambal and Kunwari rivers near Bhind, Madhya Presdesh has been carried out using 1:25,000 scale aerial photographs. Landsat imagery for the same area has been interpreted to find out the relative recognition of morphometric units earlier interpreted on air photos. It was observed that while aerial photographs provide data regarding depth, width, slope and frequency distribution of ravines at a greater detail, Landsat imagery helps in delineation of broad reclamative groupings which would be useful for Large Area Planning (LAP). A multistage approach involving the use of both air photos and satellite imagery seems to be the possible answer for preparing a Ravine Map of India.     

Forest type mapping and volume stratification of man-made forests with aerial photographs

The use of panchromatic (black & white) aerial photographs on 1:15,000 scale for forest type mapping and evolving a suitable basis of volume stratification for man-made forests of Haldwani Division of U.P. is discussed. Forest types by species, height and density were identified and ground survey data collected in 0.1 hectare circular plots were used to evolve the basis of volume stratification by statistical analysis. The methodology used for pilot studies before regional surveys are undertaken is presented.     

Effects of jpeg 2000 compression on automated dsm extraction: evidence from aerial photographs

This paper evaluates the effects of JPEG 2000 compression on automated digital surface model (DSM) extraction, using the area-based matching technique. Two stereopairs of aerial photographs, which have different photo scale, pixel size, and topographic type, are used as the images for the experiments. In the experiments, the DSM generated from the uncompressed image is set as the reference, and the elevation accuracy is computed for a range of compression ratios (2:1 to 100:1). The results show that the employed indices of image quality based on the JPEG 2000 compression are clearly superior to the commonly used JPEG compression technique—especially for high compression ratios. However, the elevation accuracy varies with the compression ratios. Also, JPEG 2000 compression does not have a significant influence on the percentage of the successful matching rate. In addition, a near linear fall-off is observed in extracted DSM accuracy with increasing compression ratios.     

Mapping of seagrass meadows from the lakshadweep islands (India), using aerial photographs

Seagrass meadows from the Lakshadweep islands were mapped with the help of black and white aerial photographs. A maximum of 40 ha seagrass cover was estimated in the lagoon of Minicoy, followed by Kavaratti (34 ha). The total seagrass cover from six major islands of Lakshadweep was estimated to be 112 ha with standing crop of ca 800 metric tonnes. The dominant seagrass species observed wasThalassia hemprichii whileCymodocea rotundata, Halophila ovata, Syringodium isoetifolium andHalodule uninervis were common to these islands.     

Digital close range photogrammetry for measurement of soil erosion

Many of the processes involved in soil erosion have dimensions on the millimetre scale. Modelling and quantification of such processes require information on soil surface topography with adequate resolution. The purpose of this study was to generate digital elevation models (DEMs) from soil surfaces with high spatial and temporal resolution. Digital photogrammetry was applied for measuring erosion rates on complex-shaped soil surfaces under laboratory rainfall conditions. A total of 60 DEMs were generated, covering a planimetric area of 16 m². The DEMs had a grid resolution of 3 mm. A vertical precision of approximately 1 mm was desired for DEM analysis. A consumer-grade digital camera was used for image acquisition. The camera was calibrated using BLUH software. Homologous points in overlapping images were identified with least squares matching software. Irregularly spaced object coordinates were interpolated to a regular grid in a geographic information system. The resulting DEMs represented the soil surface well. A precision of 1·26 mm in the vertical was attained. The precision of DEM production was limited to camera calibration. Improvements of the setup presented could include the use of better control points and more advanced image matching strategies for identification of homologous points. The DEMs allowed for detailed analysis of soil surface evolution.     

Wavelet-based detection of bush encroachment in a savanna using multi-temporal aerial photographs and satellite imagery

Although increased woody plant abundance has been reported in tropical savannas worldwide, techniques for detecting the direction and magnitude of change are mostly based on visual interpretation of historical aerial photography or textural analysis of multi-temporal satellite images. These techniques are prone to human error and do not permit integration of remotely sensed data from diverse sources. Here, we integrate aerial photographs with high spatial resolution satellite imagery and use a discrete wavelet transform to objectively detect the dynamics in bush encroachment at two protected Zimbabwean savanna sites. Based on the recently introduced intensity-dominant scale approach, we test the hypotheses that: (1) the encroachment of woody patches into the surrounding grassland matrix causes a shift in the dominant scale. This shift in the dominant scale can be detected using a discrete wavelet transform regardless of whether aerial photography and satellite data are used; and (2) as the woody patch size stabilises, woody cover tends to increase thereby triggering changes in intensity. The results show that at the first site where tree patches were already established (Lake Chivero Game Reserve), between 1972 and 1984 the dominant scale of woody patches initially increased from 8 m before stabilising at 16 m and 32 m between 1984 and 2012 while the intensity fluctuated during the same period. In contrast, at the second site, which was formely grass-dominated site (Kyle Game Reserve), we observed an unclear dominant scale (1972) which later becomes distinct in 1985, 1996 and 2012. Over the same period, the intensity increased. Our results imply that using our approach we can detect and quantify woody/bush patch dynamics in savanna landscapes.