Potential of low cost close‐range photogrammetry system in soil microtopography quantification

Abstract

Abstract:Soil microtopography is a dynamic soil property which affects most soil-surface and water interaction processes. The importance of soil microtopography has been recognized for a long time, but only limited reports are available in the literature. In this study, the potential of using consumer-grade cameras and close-range photogrammetry procedures to quantify soil microtopography at plot-scale level (Ä1 m 2 ) were assessed. Five fabricated gypsum surfaces with different degrees of roughness were used to simulate the soil surface conditions with different soil aggregates. The surfaces' digital elevation model (DEM) was generated using the photogrammetry system (PHM) involving a consumer-grade camera, and pin-microrelief meter (PM). The DEM generated using the PHM was assessed for accuracy, roughness indices (RI), depression area percentage (DA%), depression storage capacity (DSC), and micro-rills delineation in comparison with the PM. The accuracy was evaluated using the root mean square error (RMSE) in the x-, y-, and z-directions. Visual comparison between the 3D-visions of the DEM showed strong agreement between the DEM generated by the PHM and the PM, and between the PHM and the 2D images for the different gypsum surfaces. The average RMSE in the x-. y-, and z-direction were 2Ð08, 1Ð52, and 0Ð82 mm for the rough surface, and 4Ð42, 1Ð65, and 3Ð22 mm for the smooth surface. The RIs calculated from the two methods were highly correlated. The small discrepancy between the two methods was discussed. The micro-rills delineation was also similar for the two methods regarding the network density. The grid size did not effect the RI calculation, and has a strong influence on the DA%, DSC, and the delineated micro-rills orders. Results suggest that a consumer-grade camera and close-range photogrammetry have the potential to quantify the soil microtopography.

Monitoring of Soil Surface under Wind and Water Erosion by Photogrammetry

“…Sandy soil was packed into the soil box and twenty nails were inserted into the soil surface to be used as "unknown" measurement points, with a × mark made on the top of each nail. The measured values, M p (mm), on the z-axis were obtained using the point gauge method similar to that described by Abd-Elbasit et al 2009, which consist of vertical pins, with wooden supporter, stinging on the nails put on the soil surface. A micrometer caliper was used to record the elevation of the soil surface by measuring the length of each pin with accuracy in the order of ±0.01 mm (Model 19971, Shinwa Rules Co., LTD).…”

“…Jeschke (1990) applied correlation matching to soft-copy images taken by a Zeiss SMK 40 camera to analyze soil microtopography. Recent advances in digital image processing and camera calibration techniques make it possible to use the digitized images taken by consumer-grade analog cameras to automate the generation of DEMs (Brasington and Smart 2003;Abd-Elbasit et al 2009) Some researchers, e.g., Chandler et al (2002) and Lascelles et al (2002), have calibrated consumer-grade cameras and employed the images taken with them to generate DEMs automatically on digital photogrammetric workstations, which are becoming increasingly accessible to nonphotogrammetrists. Analytical photogrammetry has often been used in geomorphological studies of gully and rill formation (Elliot et al 1997;Pyle and Richards 1997;Helming et al 1998;DeRose et al 1998;Pellikka et al 2004;Rieke-Zapp and Nearing 2005).…”

Close Range Photogrammetry and Constructive Characterization of Masonry Gothic Vaults

“…The use of photogrammetry enables a fast and low-cost methodology for the accurate recording of complex geometries (Yilmaz, 2008). In recent years its use has grown significantly in a wide range of disciplines, as topography (Abd Elbasit, 2009), archaeology (Campana, 2007), (Barazzetti, 2011) or even biology (Growcott 2012) and accident reconstruction (Du, 2009) between others. Of course, it has been also used in the digital recording and the assessment of heritage constructions (Sharaf et al, 2009), (Fuji, 2009), (Ordoñez, 2010).…”

Statistical Characterization of Bare Soil Surface Microrelief

“…Direct ground field measurement of surface roughness can be performed by either contact techniques [44][45][46] or non-contact techniques such as close range photogrammetry [15,26,[47][48][49][50] or laser scanning [32,[51][52][53]. Some authors made comparative studies [30,[54][55][56] and a review of the measurement techniques can be found in [3].…”