Using a fixed-wing UAS to map snow depth distribution: an evaluation at peak accumulation
We investigate snow depth distribution at peak accumulation over a small Alpine area ( ∼ 0.3 km 2 ) using photogrammetry-based surveys with a fixed-wing unmanned aerial system (UAS). These devices are growing in popularity as inexpensive alternatives to existing techniques within the field of remote...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:f65fc2c9fe7a409c96f4851a9b222ed5 2023-05-15T18:32:30+02:00 Using a fixed-wing UAS to map snow depth distribution: an evaluation at peak accumulation C. De Michele F. Avanzi D. Passoni R. Barzaghi L. Pinto P. Dosso A. Ghezzi R. Gianatti G. Della Vedova 2016-03-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-511-2016 https://doaj.org/article/f65fc2c9fe7a409c96f4851a9b222ed5 EN eng Copernicus Publications http://www.the-cryosphere.net/10/511/2016/tc-10-511-2016.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 1994-0416 1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-10-511-2016 https://doaj.org/article/f65fc2c9fe7a409c96f4851a9b222ed5 The Cryosphere, Vol 10, Iss 2, Pp 511-522 (2016) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2016 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-511-2016 2022-12-30T23:37:56Z We investigate snow depth distribution at peak accumulation over a small Alpine area ( ∼ 0.3 km 2 ) using photogrammetry-based surveys with a fixed-wing unmanned aerial system (UAS). These devices are growing in popularity as inexpensive alternatives to existing techniques within the field of remote sensing, but the assessment of their performance in Alpine areas to map snow depth distribution is still an open issue. Moreover, several existing attempts to map snow depth using UASs have used multi-rotor systems, since they guarantee higher stability than fixed-wing systems. We designed two field campaigns: during the first survey, performed at the beginning of the accumulation season, the digital elevation model of the ground was obtained. A second survey, at peak accumulation, enabled us to estimate the snow depth distribution as a difference with respect to the previous aerial survey. Moreover, the spatial integration of UAS snow depth measurements enabled us to estimate the snow volume accumulated over the area. On the same day, we collected 12 probe measurements of snow depth at random positions within the case study to perform a preliminary evaluation of UAS-based snow depth. Results reveal that UAS estimations of point snow depth present an average difference with reference to manual measurements equal to −0.073 m and a RMSE equal to 0.14 m. We have also explored how some basic snow depth statistics (e.g., mean, standard deviation, minima and maxima) change with sampling resolution (from 5 cm up to ∼ 100 m): for this case study, snow depth standard deviation (hence coefficient of variation) increases with decreasing cell size, but it stabilizes for resolutions smaller than 1 m. This provides a possible indication of sampling resolution in similar conditions. Article in Journal/Newspaper The Cryosphere Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles The Cryosphere 10 2 511 522 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
spellingShingle |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 C. De Michele F. Avanzi D. Passoni R. Barzaghi L. Pinto P. Dosso A. Ghezzi R. Gianatti G. Della Vedova Using a fixed-wing UAS to map snow depth distribution: an evaluation at peak accumulation |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
We investigate snow depth distribution at peak accumulation over a small Alpine area ( ∼ 0.3 km 2 ) using photogrammetry-based surveys with a fixed-wing unmanned aerial system (UAS). These devices are growing in popularity as inexpensive alternatives to existing techniques within the field of remote sensing, but the assessment of their performance in Alpine areas to map snow depth distribution is still an open issue. Moreover, several existing attempts to map snow depth using UASs have used multi-rotor systems, since they guarantee higher stability than fixed-wing systems. We designed two field campaigns: during the first survey, performed at the beginning of the accumulation season, the digital elevation model of the ground was obtained. A second survey, at peak accumulation, enabled us to estimate the snow depth distribution as a difference with respect to the previous aerial survey. Moreover, the spatial integration of UAS snow depth measurements enabled us to estimate the snow volume accumulated over the area. On the same day, we collected 12 probe measurements of snow depth at random positions within the case study to perform a preliminary evaluation of UAS-based snow depth. Results reveal that UAS estimations of point snow depth present an average difference with reference to manual measurements equal to −0.073 m and a RMSE equal to 0.14 m. We have also explored how some basic snow depth statistics (e.g., mean, standard deviation, minima and maxima) change with sampling resolution (from 5 cm up to ∼ 100 m): for this case study, snow depth standard deviation (hence coefficient of variation) increases with decreasing cell size, but it stabilizes for resolutions smaller than 1 m. This provides a possible indication of sampling resolution in similar conditions. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
C. De Michele F. Avanzi D. Passoni R. Barzaghi L. Pinto P. Dosso A. Ghezzi R. Gianatti G. Della Vedova |
author_facet |
C. De Michele F. Avanzi D. Passoni R. Barzaghi L. Pinto P. Dosso A. Ghezzi R. Gianatti G. Della Vedova |
author_sort |
C. De Michele |
title |
Using a fixed-wing UAS to map snow depth distribution: an evaluation at peak accumulation |
title_short |
Using a fixed-wing UAS to map snow depth distribution: an evaluation at peak accumulation |
title_full |
Using a fixed-wing UAS to map snow depth distribution: an evaluation at peak accumulation |
title_fullStr |
Using a fixed-wing UAS to map snow depth distribution: an evaluation at peak accumulation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Using a fixed-wing UAS to map snow depth distribution: an evaluation at peak accumulation |
title_sort |
using a fixed-wing uas to map snow depth distribution: an evaluation at peak accumulation |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-511-2016 https://doaj.org/article/f65fc2c9fe7a409c96f4851a9b222ed5 |
genre |
The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 10, Iss 2, Pp 511-522 (2016) |
op_relation |
http://www.the-cryosphere.net/10/511/2016/tc-10-511-2016.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 1994-0416 1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-10-511-2016 https://doaj.org/article/f65fc2c9fe7a409c96f4851a9b222ed5 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-511-2016 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
10 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
511 |
op_container_end_page |
522 |
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