Spatially continuous snow depth mapping by aeroplane photogrammetry for annual peak of winter from 2017 to 2021 in open areas
Information on snow depth and its spatial distribution is important for numerous applications, including natural hazard management, snow water equivalent estimation for hydropower, the study of the distribution and evolution of flora and fauna, and the validation of snow hydrological models. Due to...
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ftethz:oai:www.research-collection.ethz.ch:20.500.11850/629425 2023-11-05T03:45:22+01:00 Spatially continuous snow depth mapping by aeroplane photogrammetry for annual peak of winter from 2017 to 2021 in open areas Bührle, Leon J. Marty, Mauro Eberhard, Lucie A. Stoffel, Andreas Hafner, Elisabeth D. Bühler, Yves 2023 application/application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/629425 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000629425 en eng Copernicus info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.5194/tc-17-3383-2023 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/001052554300001 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/629425 doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000629425 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International The Cryosphere, 17 (8) info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2023 ftethz https://doi.org/20.500.11850/62942510.3929/ethz-b-00062942510.5194/tc-17-3383-2023 2023-10-08T23:50:23Z Information on snow depth and its spatial distribution is important for numerous applications, including natural hazard management, snow water equivalent estimation for hydropower, the study of the distribution and evolution of flora and fauna, and the validation of snow hydrological models. Due to its heterogeneity and complexity, specific remote sensing tools are required to accurately map the snow depth distribution in Alpine terrain. To cover large areas (>100 km²), airborne laser scanning (ALS) or aerial photogrammetry with large-format cameras is needed. While both systems require piloted aircraft for data acquisition, ALS is typically more expensive than photogrammetry but yields better results in forested terrain. While photogrammetry is slightly cheaper, it is limited due to its dependency on favourable acquisition conditions (weather, light conditions). In this study, we present photogrammetrically processed high-spatial-resolution (0.5 m) annual snow depth maps, recorded during the peak of winter over a 5-year period under different acquisition conditions over a study area around Davos, Switzerland. Compared to previously carried out studies, using the Vexcel UltraCam Eagle Mark 3 (M3) sensor improves the average ground sampling distance to 0.1 m at similar flight altitudes above ground. This allows for very detailed snow depth maps in open areas, calculated by subtracting a snow-off digital terrain model (DTM, acquired with ALS) from the snow-on digital surface models (DSMs) processed from the airborne imagery. Despite challenging acquisition conditions during the recording of the UltraCam images (clouds, shaded areas and fresh snow), 99 % of unforested areas were successfully photogrammetrically reconstructed. We applied masks (high vegetation, settlements, water, glaciers) to increase the reliability of the snow depth calculations. An extensive accuracy assessment was carried out using check points, the comparison to DSMs derived from unpiloted aerial systems and the comparison of snow-free DSM ... Article in Journal/Newspaper The Cryosphere ETH Zürich Research Collection |
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Open Polar |
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ETH Zürich Research Collection |
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ftethz |
language |
English |
description |
Information on snow depth and its spatial distribution is important for numerous applications, including natural hazard management, snow water equivalent estimation for hydropower, the study of the distribution and evolution of flora and fauna, and the validation of snow hydrological models. Due to its heterogeneity and complexity, specific remote sensing tools are required to accurately map the snow depth distribution in Alpine terrain. To cover large areas (>100 km²), airborne laser scanning (ALS) or aerial photogrammetry with large-format cameras is needed. While both systems require piloted aircraft for data acquisition, ALS is typically more expensive than photogrammetry but yields better results in forested terrain. While photogrammetry is slightly cheaper, it is limited due to its dependency on favourable acquisition conditions (weather, light conditions). In this study, we present photogrammetrically processed high-spatial-resolution (0.5 m) annual snow depth maps, recorded during the peak of winter over a 5-year period under different acquisition conditions over a study area around Davos, Switzerland. Compared to previously carried out studies, using the Vexcel UltraCam Eagle Mark 3 (M3) sensor improves the average ground sampling distance to 0.1 m at similar flight altitudes above ground. This allows for very detailed snow depth maps in open areas, calculated by subtracting a snow-off digital terrain model (DTM, acquired with ALS) from the snow-on digital surface models (DSMs) processed from the airborne imagery. Despite challenging acquisition conditions during the recording of the UltraCam images (clouds, shaded areas and fresh snow), 99 % of unforested areas were successfully photogrammetrically reconstructed. We applied masks (high vegetation, settlements, water, glaciers) to increase the reliability of the snow depth calculations. An extensive accuracy assessment was carried out using check points, the comparison to DSMs derived from unpiloted aerial systems and the comparison of snow-free DSM ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Bührle, Leon J. Marty, Mauro Eberhard, Lucie A. Stoffel, Andreas Hafner, Elisabeth D. Bühler, Yves |
spellingShingle |
Bührle, Leon J. Marty, Mauro Eberhard, Lucie A. Stoffel, Andreas Hafner, Elisabeth D. Bühler, Yves Spatially continuous snow depth mapping by aeroplane photogrammetry for annual peak of winter from 2017 to 2021 in open areas |
author_facet |
Bührle, Leon J. Marty, Mauro Eberhard, Lucie A. Stoffel, Andreas Hafner, Elisabeth D. Bühler, Yves |
author_sort |
Bührle, Leon J. |
title |
Spatially continuous snow depth mapping by aeroplane photogrammetry for annual peak of winter from 2017 to 2021 in open areas |
title_short |
Spatially continuous snow depth mapping by aeroplane photogrammetry for annual peak of winter from 2017 to 2021 in open areas |
title_full |
Spatially continuous snow depth mapping by aeroplane photogrammetry for annual peak of winter from 2017 to 2021 in open areas |
title_fullStr |
Spatially continuous snow depth mapping by aeroplane photogrammetry for annual peak of winter from 2017 to 2021 in open areas |
title_full_unstemmed |
Spatially continuous snow depth mapping by aeroplane photogrammetry for annual peak of winter from 2017 to 2021 in open areas |
title_sort |
spatially continuous snow depth mapping by aeroplane photogrammetry for annual peak of winter from 2017 to 2021 in open areas |
publisher |
Copernicus |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/629425 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000629425 |
genre |
The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, 17 (8) |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.5194/tc-17-3383-2023 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/001052554300001 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/629425 doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000629425 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/20.500.11850/62942510.3929/ethz-b-00062942510.5194/tc-17-3383-2023 |
_version_ |
1781707382854778880 |