Automatic Dem Generation for Antarctic Terrain

Automatic digital elevation model (DEM) generation has become an established technique within mapping agencies. This paper assesses the effectiveness of automatic DEM generation using area-based matching for glaciated terrain in Antarctica. DEM accuracy is assessed by comparison with check data acquired using analytical photogrammetry and independent field measurements.An optimum DEM collection strategy is identified. DEM success is linked to ground terrain type and it is found that areas of a DEM which can be collected successfully are relatively insensitive to changes in the collection strategy. A method of isolating unsuccessful areas of a DEM for manual editing is tested for Antarctic terrain. In this example, over 90% success is achieved in identifying erroneous DEM results measured against check data.