利用TanDEM-X影像和ICESat-2高程数据获取南极高精度数字高程模型

高精度DEM是南极科学研究的基础地理信息数据之一。德国空间局发布的TanDEM-X双站干涉影像对不仅分辨率高、覆盖范围大,而且具有零时间基线,不受时间去相关、大气变化及地面目标形变的影响。本文基于TanDEM-X双站干涉影像对和迭代差分InSAR技术获取南极高分辨率DEM;然后利用南极ICESat-2高程数据和最小二乘平差方法改正DEM产品的系统性偏移误差,提高DEM产品的绝对精度。真实数据试验结果表明,本文方法可获取分辨率优于5 m、绝对精度优于2 m的南极DEM。     

Constrained regularization of digital terrain elevation data

A framework for geometric regularization of elevation maps is introduced in this letter. The framework takes into account errors in the data, which form part of standard elevation maps specifications, as well as possible additional user/application-dependent constraints. The algorithm is based on adapting the theory of geometric active surfaces to the problem of regularizing elevation maps. We present the underlying concepts and numerical experiments showing the effectiveness and potential of this theory.     

利用ASTER立体像对提取相对DEM及正射影像地图制作

本文探讨在PCIGeomatica软件支持下,应用四川省泸州地区ASTER立体像对数据自动提取DEM及其正射影像地图制作。通过与当地实测地形图(1∶50000)比较,表明在平坦地区ASTER DEM与实测地形图吻合很好;在高程变化较大的区域由于太阳高度、方位影响和ASTER后视成像存在着较大的叠掩和阴影效应,ASTER DEM和实测DEM存在一些差异,但总体上可以满足中小比例尺(1∶500,000到1∶1000,000)地图应用。ASTER的应用为DEM的快速提取和正射影像地图制作提供了一种新的途径。     

Geostatistical approaches to refinement of digital elevation data

Data refinement refers to the processes by which a dataset’s resolution, in particular, the spatial one, is refined, and is thus synonymous to spatial downscaling. Spatial resolution indicates measurement scale and can be seen as an index for regular data support. As a type of change of scale, data refinement is useful for many scenarios where spatial scales of existing data, desired analyses, or specific applications need to be made commensurate and refined. As spatial data are related to certain data support, they can be conceived of as support-specific realizations of random fields, suggesting that multivariate geostatistics should be explored for refining datasets from their coarser-resolution versions to the finer-resolution ones. In this paper, geostatistical methods for downscaling are described, and were implemented using GTOPO30 data and sampled Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data at a site in northwest China, with the latter’s majority grid cells used as surrogate reference data. It was found that proper structural modeling is important for achieving increased accuracy in data refinement; here, structural modeling can be done through proper decomposition of elevation fields into trends and residuals and thereafter. It was confirmed that effects of semantic differences on data refinement can be reduced through properly estimating and incorporating biases in local means.     

Improving strain rate estimation from velocity data of non-permanent GPS stations: the Central Apennine study case (Italy)

An efficient procedure is proposed to define realistic lower limits of velocity errors of a non-permanent GPS station (NPS), i.e., a station where the antenna is installed and operates for short time periods, typically 10–20 days per year. Moreover, the proposed method is aimed at being independent of standard GPS data processing. The key is to subsample appropriately the coordinate time series of several continuous GPS stations situated nearby or inside the considered NPS network, in order to simulate the NPS behavior and to estimate the velocity errors associated with the subsampling procedure. The obtained data are used as lower limits to accept or correct the error estimates provided by standard data processing. The proposed approach is applied to data from the dense, non-permanent network in the Central Apennine of Italy based on a sequence of solutions for the overlapping time spans 1999–2003, 1999–2004, 1999–2005 and 1999–2007. Both the original and error-corrected velocity patterns are used to compute the strain rate fields. The comparison between the corresponding results reveals large differences that could lead to divergent interpretations about the kinematics of the study area.     

无/缺水下地形数据的高原堰塞湖水量遥感估算

水量遥感动态监测对于高原堰塞湖风险评估、预报预警和处置决策等具有重要意义。针对高原无资料或缺资料区,充分利用空天遥感技术,文章提出了一种无/缺水下地形数据的高原堰塞湖水量遥感定量估算方法。该方法首先通过遥感水域面积提取,获取堰塞湖淹没空间范围;进而采用不规则复杂多边形中线定位算法,确定堰塞湖中心线位置;然后基于河道中心特定点高程信息,结合局部河道比降估算,生成堰塞湖水下地形河道中线约束因子;再根据河道边坡高程信息和水下地形约束因子自适应拟合出局部堰塞河道的水下未知地形;最后通过三维曲面离散积分实现堰塞湖水量遥感动态定量估算。实验以东帕米尔高原的萨雷兹堰塞湖为研究区,展开遥感水量调查与局部验证研究,结果表明:萨雷兹堰塞湖当前水域面积约为89.09 km²,水量约为162.49亿m³;这一结果与专家预估的水资源量155—165亿m³基本吻合。经局部模拟实验精度对比验证,模拟结果与实际数据动态误差总体控制在10%以内,相关系数达到0.95(P<0.01,双尾),进一步证明了算法的鲁棒性和估算结果的可信度。为无/缺水下地形数据的高原堰塞湖水量遥感估算提供了一种有效的方法,实现了水下地形未知的高原堰塞湖水量遥感快速反演与定量测算。     

Bayesian and Geostatistical Approaches to Combining Categorical Data Derived from Visual and Digital Processing of Remotely Sensed Images

This paper seeks a synthesis of Bayesian and geostatistical approaches to combining categorical data in the context of remote sensing classification. By experiment with aerial photographs and Landsat TM data, accuracy of spectral, spatial, and combined classification results was evaluated. It was confirmed that the incorporation of spatial information in spectral classification increases accuracy significantly. Secondly, through test with a 5-class and a 3-class classification schemes, it was revealed that setting a proper semantic framework for classification is fundamental to any endeavors of categorical mapping and the most important factor affecting accuracy. Lastly, this paper promotes non-parametric methods for both definition of class membership profiling based on band-specific histograms of image intensities and derivation of spatial probability via indicator kriging, a non-parametric geostatistical technique.     

Bayesian and geostatistical approaches to combining categorical data derived from visual and digital processing of remotely sensed images

This paper seeks a synthesis of Bayesian and geostatistical approaches to combining categorical data in the context of remote sensing classification. By experiment with aerial photographs and Landsat TM data, accuracy of spectral, spatial, and combined classification results was evaluated. It was confirmed that the incorporation of spatial information in spectral classification increases accuracy significantly. Secondly, through test with a 5-class and a 3-class classification schemes, it was revealed that setting a proper semantic framework for classification is fundamental to any endeavors of categorical mapping and the most important factor affecting accuracy. Lastly, this paper promotes non-parametric methods for both definition of class membership profiling based on band-specific histograms of image intensities and derivation of spatial probability via indicator kriging, a non-parametric geostatistical technique.     

离散点云构建数字高程模型的插值方法研究

针对消除DEM构建中插值方法选择的随意性问题,该文基于机载LiDAR离散点云数据,以广东省典型城区与山区为实验对象,利用克里金、反距离权重、径向基函数和自然邻域4种插值方法,对插值参数进行优选后构建DEM,使用交叉验证、相关性分析、像元统计量和三维可视化等方法进行精度分析与比较。结果表明:在城区反距离权重插值,不但可以对空值区域进行适当填充和平滑,而且对高程最大、最小值的预测精度也很高;不同插值方法在构建山区DEM时精度相差不大,插值精度可以达到厘米级,其中普通克里金插值效果最佳。对于城区与山区点云数据反距离权重插值法生成的DEM均能很好地反映地表自然形态,为今后LiDAR点云数据构建DEM选择最佳的插值算法以及插值参数提供参考。     

Cartosat-1 height product and ICESat/GLAS data for digital elevation surface generation

Space born systems like Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) onboard collect data for ice, cloud and Land. Elevation satellite (ICESat) collects an unparalleled data set as waveform over terrestrial targets, helps in evaluating the global elevation data. In this study we compared the Digital Elevation Surface (DES) generated by Cartosat-1 point data and DES generated by merging the Cartosat-1 data with ICESat data. Outputs in the form of interpolated surfaces were evaluated with the help of differential global positioning system (DGPS) points collected from study area. The study showed the results that the DES generated from Cartosat — 1 data had less elevation accuracy when compared with the DGPS data. While merging Cartosat-1 point height data with ICESat/GLAS data resulted in better accuracy. On the practical side for processing the interpolation, based on the research the ICESat /GLAS with Cartosat-1 height data can produce better DES compared to the Cartosat-1 stereo data. The DES was generated using geostatistical interpolation methods in which the global polynomial method proved to be the better for generating the surface compare to other interpolation techniques studied in this work. For co-kriging method, the accuracy decreases compare to the kriging interpolation, due to the complexity of parameters that were used for interpolation. On the theory side, based on this research the statement of which interpolation technique is better than the other cannot be mentioned easily, because these are based on the data type, parameters and also on method of interpolation. So research experiment should be more intensely and with more focused.     

State-of-the-art of elevation extraction from satellite SAR data

Relative or absolute elevation extraction from satellite radar data has been an active research topic for more than 20 years. Various investigations have been made on different methods depending on the predominant “fashion” and data availability, leading each time to new developments to improve the capability and the applicability of each method. The paper presents an update of the state-of-the-art of elevation extraction from satellite SAR data. The performance and limitations of four different methods (clinometry, stereoscopy, interferometry and polarimetry) are reviewed, as well as their applicability to different satellite SAR sensors. Their advantages and disadvantages and how they are addressed during the data processing are also analysed. Finally, concluding remarks look at the complementarity aspects of each method to make the best use of the existing and future radar data for elevation extraction.     

Recovery of elevation from estimated gradient fields constrained by digital elevation maps of lower lateral resolution

Depth measurement techniques like stereo analysis and laser range scanning often yield a lateral resolution below image resolution. In contrast, shading-based methods estimate the elevation model at image resolution. We present a computationally efficient approach to recover a surface of high vertical and high lateral resolution from a noisy gradient field and independently measured elevation data of lower lateral resolution, relying on a minimization of the mean squared difference between the low-pass component of the surface obtained based on shading information and that of the independently measured elevation data. The presented method is compared to a reference approach that minimizes a weighted sum comprised of the mean squared difference between the low-pass components of the estimated gradient field and the optimized model, respectively. The presented algorithm is applied using lunar orbital image data and stereo elevation data and is evaluated regarding orbital laser altimeter measurements of high vertical accuracy.     

Application of digital elevation model and orthoimages derived from IRS-1C pan stereo data in monitoring variations in glacial dimensions

An attempt has been made to study variations in the glacier extent over a period of time using digital elevation model (DEM) and orthoimages derived from IRS-1C PAN stereo pairs of 1997–98 and topographical map surveyed during 1962–63. DEM and orthoimages have been generated using integrated software developed for processing of IRSIC/ID panchromatic stereo data using the softcopy photogrammetric workstation. Case studies of two glaciers, i.e. the Janapa garang and Shaune garang glaciers of the Basapa basin, a sub-basin of Satluj River in India, have been presented here. Generation of DEM has been followed by the estimation of its accuracy. PAN images were interpreted for identification of the snout of the glaciers. The geographical locations of the snouts on the images were compared with the location as mapped on the topographical map of the study area. To verify satellite observations, field investigations were carried out at Shaune garang glacier area. The Janapa garang and the Shaune garang are observed to have retreat of 596m and 923 m respectively. Reduction in the thickness of ice in the deglaciated part of the Shaune garang glacier was estimated on the basis of change in the elevations of the glacial surface from 1963 to 1998.     

TerraSAR影像干涉测量数据的地理编码方法

InSAR技术广泛用于获取高精度的地形信息,但是经过干涉处理获得的干涉测量数据必须经过地理编码,才能得到可实用的DEM。本文针对高分辨率TerraSAR影像,提出了利用InSAR的影像和高度信息,结合卫星的位置矢量和速度矢量以及SAR距离-多普勒构像模型,进行高程图地理编码处理的方法,直接将干涉生成的DEM校正到所需的地面参考坐标系统中,以获取干涉数据的地面三维信息。通过试验,证明了该方法的可行性。     

A causal analysis of error in viewsheds from USGS digital elevation models

Users of GIS are faced with the ongoing and difficult problem of estimating the validity of a GIS output given the uncertainty of the quality of digital mapped data. This research project examines the manner in which error from a digital elevation model (DEM) results in error in an estimate of a viewshed. The data set includes two DEMs for the same study area. A 10-metre DEM serves as the control model to test a United States Geological Survey (USGS) DEM. The amount and spatial pattern of the error in the test DEM is determined by comparing it to the control DEM. A viewshed analysis is then performed at a set of 61 sites. After determining the relative accuracy of the viewsheds thus estimated, a causal model of viewshed error is developed, which links the sources of the DEM error with the error in the viewshed. The most important factor in DEM error is terrain roughness. The error in the viewsheds is a result of the error being propagated from the DEM, with landscape characteristics of the viewpoinr playing a role due to their effect on the error in the DEM. The conceptual path model developed sets the stage for a quancitative approach that will attempt to predict viewshed error from the landscape characteristics without direct knowledge of the error in the DEM.     

Modelling high arctic percent vegetation cover using field digital images and high resolution satellite data

In this study, digital images collected at a study site in the Canadian High Arctic were processed and classified to examine the spatial-temporal patterns of percent vegetation cover (PVC). To obtain the PVC of different plant functional groups (i.e., forbs, graminoids/sedges and mosses), field near infrared-green-blue (NGB) digital images were classified using an object-based image analysis (OBIA) approach. The PVC analyses comparing different vegetation types confirmed: (i) the polar semi-desert exhibited the lowest PVC with a large proportion of bare soil/rock cover; (ii) the mesic tundra cover consisted of approximately 60% mosses; and (iii) the wet sedge consisted almost exclusively of graminoids and sedges. As expected, the PVC and green normalized difference vegetation index (GNDVI; (R_NIR − R_Green)/(R_NIR + R_Green)), derived from field NGB digital images, increased during the summer growing season for each vegetation type: i.e., ∼5% (0.01) for polar semi-desert; ∼10% (0.04) for mesic tundra; and ∼12% (0.03) for wet sedge respectively. PVC derived from field images was found to be strongly correlated with WorldView-2 derived normalized difference spectral indices (NDSI; (R_x − R_y)/(R_x + R_y)), where R_x is the reflectance of the red edge (724.1 nm) or near infrared (832.9 nm and 949.3 nm) bands; R_y is the reflectance of the yellow (607.7 nm) or red (658.8 nm) bands with R²’s ranging from 0.74 to 0.81. NDSIs that incorporated the yellow band (607.7 nm) performed slightly better than the NDSIs without, indicating that this band may be more useful for investigating Arctic vegetation that often includes large proportions of senescent vegetation throughout the growing season.     

Updating digital elevation models via change detection and fusion of human and remote sensor data in urban environments

OpenStreetMap (OSM) currently represents the most popular project of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI): geodata are collected by common people and made available for public use. Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) enables the acquisition of high-resolution digital elevation models that are used for many applications. This study combines the advantages of both ALS and OSM, offering a promising new approach that enhances data quality and allows change detection: the mainly up-to-date 2D data of OSM can be combined with the high-resolution – but rarely updated – elevation information provided by ALS. This case study investigates building objects of OSM and ALS data of the city of Bregenz, Austria. Data quality of OSM is discerned by the comparison of building footprints using different true positive definitions (e.g. overlapping area). High quality of OSM data is revealed, yet also limitations of each method with respect to heterogeneous regions and building outlines are identified. For the first time, an up-to-date Digital Surface Model (DSM) combining 2D OSM and ALS data is achieved. A multitude of applications such as flood simulations and solar potential assessments can directly benefit from this data combination, since their value and reliability strongly depend on an up-to-date DSM.     

EarthEnv-DEM90: A nearly-global,void-free,multi-scale smoothed, 90m digital elevation model from fused ASTER and SRTM data

A variety of DEM products are available to the public at no cost, though all are characterized by trade-offs in spatial coverage, data resolution, and quality. The absence of a high-resolution, high-quality, well-described and vetted, free, global consensus product was the impetus for the creation of a new DEM product described here, ‘EarthEnv-DEM90’. This new DEM is a compilation dataset constructed via rigorous techniques by which ASTER GDEM2 and CGIAR-CSI v4.1 products were fused into a quality-enhanced, consistent grid of elevation estimates that spans ∼91% of the globe. EarthEnv-DEM90 was assembled using methods for seamlessly merging input datasets, thoroughly filling voids, and smoothing data irregularities (e.g. those caused by DEM noise) from the approximated surface. The result is a DEM product in which elevational artifacts are strongly mitigated from the input data fusion zone, substantial voids are filled in the northern-most regions of the globe, and the entire DEM exhibits reduced terrain noise. As important as the final product is a well defined methodology, along with new processing techniques and careful attention to final outputs, that extends the value and usability of the work beyond just this single product. Finally, we outline EarthEnv-DEM90 acquisition instructions and metadata availability, so that researchers can obtain this high-resolution, high-quality, nearly-global new DEM product for the study of wide-ranging global phenomena.