Using gravity and topography-implied anomalies to assess data requirements for precise geoid computation

Many regions around the world require improved gravimetric data bases to support very accurate geoid modeling for the modernization of height systems using GPS. We present a simple yet effective method to assess gravity data requirements, particularly the necessary resolution, for a desired precision in geoid computation. The approach is based on simulating high-resolution gravimetry using a topography-correlated model that is adjusted to be consistent with an existing network of gravity data. Analysis of these adjusted, simulated data through Stokes’s integral indicates where existing gravity data must be supplemented by new surveys in order to achieve an acceptable level of omission error in the geoid undulation. The simulated model can equally be used to analyze commission error, as well as model error and data inconsistencies to a limited extent. The proposed method is applied to South Korea and shows clearly where existing gravity data are too scarce for precise geoid computation.     

A hierarchical model for estimating methane emission from wetlands using MODIS data and ARIMA modeling

A three-step hierarchical Semi Automated Empirical Methane Emission Model (SEMEM) has been used to estimate methane emission from wetlands and waterlogged areas in India using Moderate Resolution Imagine Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor data onboard Terra satellite. Wetland Surface Temperature (WST), methane emission fluxes and wetland extent have been incorporated as parameters in order to model the methane emission. Analysis of monthly MODIS data covering the whole of India from November 2004 to April 2006 was carried out and monthly methane emissions have been estimated. Interpolation techniques were adopted to fill the data gaps due to cloudy conditions during the monsoon period. AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model has been fitted to estimate the emitted methane for the months of May 2006 to August 2006 using SPSS software.     

An approach to aid INS using time-differenced GPS carrier phase (TDCP) measurements

This paper presents a simple and effective approach that incorporates single-frequency, L1 time-differenced GPS carrier phase (TDCP) measurements without the need of ambiguity resolution techniques and the complexity to accommodate the delayed-state terms. Static trial results are included to illustrate the stochastic characteristics and effectiveness of the TDCP measurements in controlling position error growth. The formulation of the TDCP observation model is also described in a 17-state tightly-coupled GPS/INS iterative, extended Kalman filter (IEKF) approach. Preliminary land vehicle trial results are also presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the TDCP which provides sub-meter positional accuracies when operating for more than 10 min.     

Urban cadastral mapping using very high resolution remote sensing data

With growing urban expanses, one of the pre-requisites for effective governance is Urban Information Systems (UIS) with content down to individual properties (and individuals). The basic input i.e., a map, in UIS should show individual property boundaries showing the plan outline of all structures existing within, at a scale of 1:1000 and larger with sub-metre to centimeters planimetric and geometric accuracy. With very high resolution remote sensing data of the order of 1m available in hand, it is possible to prepare maps with high resolution spatial content. The present exercise demonstrates a method of preparing a geometrically and planimetrically accurate urban cadastral map on very large scale for a small area of about 5 sq km. IKONOS merged data with 1m resolution is used for the purpose. Mapping was done in conjunction with on-site measurements and sketches. Guides are used to maintain shape symmetry and accuracy of buildings and other features. Working out cost of mapping per unit area is another objective in the present exercise. For want of fully or semi-automatic methods of information extraction from very high resolution remote sensing data, it is imperative that mapping should be carried out in conjunction with some on-site measurements wherever necessary.     

Use of laser range and height texture cues for building identification

Airborne LiDAR has found application in an increasing number of mapping and Geo-data acquisition tasks. Apart from terrain information generation, applications such as automatic detection and modeling of objects like buildings or vegetation for the generation of 3-D city models have been explored. Besides the height itself, height texture defined by local variations of the height is a significant parameter for object recognition. The paper explores the potential of the analysis of height texture as a cue for the automatic detection of objects in LiDAR datasets. A number of texture measures were computed. Based on their definition and computation these measures were used as bands in a classification algorithm, and objects like buildings, single trees, and roads could be recognized.     

A study on the reference frame consistency in recent Earth gravitational models

All gravity field functionals obtained from an Earth gravitational model (EGM) depend on the underlying terrestrial reference frame (TRF), with respect to which the EGM’s spherical harmonic coefficients refer to. In order to maintain a coherent framework for the comparison of current and future EGMs, it is thus important to investigate the consistency of their inherent TRFs, especially when their use is intended for high precision studies. Following the methodology described in an earlier paper by Kleusberg (1980), the similarity transformation parameters between the associated reference frames for several EGMs (including the most recent CHAMP/GRACE models at the time of writing this paper) are estimated in the present study. Specifically, the differences between the spherical harmonic coefficients for various pairs of EGMs are parameterized through a 3D-similarity spatial transformation model that relates their underlying TRFs. From the least-squares adjustment of such a parametric model, the origin, orientation and scale stability between the EGMs’ reference frames can be identified by estimating their corresponding translation, rotation and scale factor parameters. Various aspects of the estimation procedure and its results are highlighted in the paper, including data weighting schemes, the sensitivity of the results with respect to the selected harmonic spectral band, the correlation structure and precision level of the estimated transformation parameters, the effect of the estimated differences of the EGMs’ reference frames on their height anomaly signal, and the overall feasibility of Kleusberg’s formulae for the assessment of TRF inconsistencies among global geopotential models.     

Water Harvesting Structure Positioning by Using Geo-Visualization Concept and Prioritization of Mini-Watersheds Through Morphometric Analysis in the Lower Tapi Basin

Geo-visualization concept has been used for positioning water harvesting structures in Varekhadi watershed consisting of 26 mini watersheds, falling in Lower Tapi Basin (LTB), Surat district, Gujarat state. For prioritization of the mini watersheds, morphometric analysis was utilized by using the linear parameters such as bifurcation ratio (R_b), drainage density (D_d), stream frequency (F_u), texture ratio (T), length of overland flow (L_o) and the shape parameter such as form factor (R_f), shape factor (B_s), elongation ratio (R_e), compactness constant (C_c) and circularity ratio (R_c). The different prioritization ranks were assigned after evaluation of the compound factor. 3 Dimensional (3D) Elevation Model (DEM) from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and DEM from topo contour were analyzed in ArcScene 9.1 and the fly tool was utilized for the Geo-visualization of Varekhadi mini watersheds as per the priority ranks. Combining this with soil map and slope map, the best feasibility of positioning check dams in mini-watershed no. 1, 5 and 24 has been proposed, after validation of the sites.     

A Hierarchical Hybrid SVM Method for Classification of Remotely Sensed Data

The focus of this work is on developing a new hierarchical hybrid Support Vector Machine (SVM) method to address the problems of classification of multi or hyper spectral remotely sensed images and provide a working technique that increases the classification accuracy while lowering the computational cost and complexity of the process. The paper presents issues in analyzing large multi/hyper spectral image data sets for dimensionality reduction, coping with intra pixel spectral variations, and selection of a flexible classifier with robust learning process. Experiments conducted revealed that a computationally cheap algorithm that uses Hamming distance between the pixel vectors of different bands to eliminate redundant bands was quite effective in helping reduce the dimensionality. The paper also presents the concept of extended mathematical morphological profiles for segregating the input pixel vectors into pure or mixed categories which will enable further computational cost reductions. The proposed method’s overall classification accuracy is tested with IRS data sets and the Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectroradiometer Indian Pines hyperspectral benchmark data set and presented.     

Performance of rate detector algorithms for an integrated GPS/INS system in the presence of slowly growing error

In the Global Positioning System, there is no provision for real-time integrity information within the Standard Positioning Service, by design. However, in safety critical sectors like aviation, stringent integrity performance requirements must be met. This can be achieved using the special augmentation systems or RAIM (Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring) or both. RAIM, the most cost-effective method relies on data consistency, and therefore requires redundant measurements for its operation. An external aid to provide this redundancy can be in the form of an Inertial Navigation system. This should enable continued performance even when no redundant satellite measurements are available. An algorithm presented in previous papers by the authors detects the rate of slowly growing errors. The algorithm was shown to be effective for early detection of slowly growing errors that belong to the class of most difficult to detect errors. Firstly, rate detector is tested for varying faults. Secondly, real data are used to validate the rate detector algorithm. The data are extensively analyzed to ascertain whether it is suitable for integrity and fault diagnostics. A modification to the original rate detector algorithm is suggested by addition of a bias state to the dynamic model. The performance is then compared with the existing techniques and substantial improvement is shown.