Discrete displacement analysis for geographic linear features and the application to glacier termini

The extent of glacier terminus displacement is instrumental in investigations of natural or artificial geographic changes. Its importance to earth science and engineering is reflected in the considerable efforts that have been devoted to the development of several boundary displacement analysis methods. Among the methods, the buffering-based approach compares favorably with other approaches in objectivity and robustness. However, it does not consider the relative positions of boundaries, because its buffering operation cannot determine features' relative directions. This limitation incurs inaccurate calculation results – underestimation of mean shifts and overestimation of shape variations, especially when the two compared boundaries intersect. Discrete displacement analysis (DDA), an alternative method that considers given geographic objects as a set of a finite number of points, is proposed here. In a series of tests carried out, including Jakobshavn glacier's calving front, DDA was found to correctly calculate mean shift and shape variation even in cases where the conventional buffering-based method failed. Moreover, this approach is independent of the dimension of space in which it is implemented, and thus is expected to be utilized for analysis of 3D geographic object displacement.     

Mathematical modelling of historical reconnaissance CORONA KH-4B Imagery

This paper describes three mathematical modelling methods for high-resolution declassified CORONA KH-4B images. Since CORONA images are collected with a panoramic camera, several types of geometric distortions are involved. Two methods use the modified collinearity equations, and the third involves the terrain-dependent rational function model (RFM) which is considered to be a generic sensor model. Comparative analysis of the three mathematical modelling methods is undertaken. The results show that a ± 1·5 pixels level of horizontal and vertical accuracy can be obtained. A digital elevation model (DEM) of a test site is also created.     

Rational function model-based image matching for digital elevation models

This paper presents an image matching technique for IKONOS satellite imagery based on rational function models (RFMs). This algorithm adopts the object-space approach and reduces the search space to within the confined line-shaped area called the piecewise matching line (PML). Also, the detailed procedure of generating 3D surface information using the RFM coefficients (RFCs) is introduced to illustrate an end-user's point of view. The final digital elevation model (DEM) generated using the proposed scheme shows a mean error of 2·2 m and rmse of 3·8 m compared with that from a 1:5000 scale digital map.