Performance evaluation of the CWI BRDF-fitting method under cloud-contaminated conditions: A numerical experiment using PROSAIL

Remote retrieval of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) over the Earth’s surface is a critical component of monitoring the surface processes of our planet. NDVI is a widely used and useful indicator of vegetation health and quantity ­ however its retrieval using satellite data is hindered by the frequent presence of clouds in the Earth...

Exploring water scarcity and drought in Sicilian agriculture: Actors’ performance of European policy instruments

Water scarcity and drought (WS-D) are growing concerns throughout Europe and especially in Southern Regions. This study focuses on agriculture on Sicily, Italy. It explores the way(s) European policies to tackle WS-D are actively performed by the actors in the Sicilian water and agricultural sectors, in order to uncover potential disparities...

Observing through the water surface with a green-wavelength terrestrial laser scanner: An engineering approach

Laser scanning technique is an upcoming technique for many engineering purposes. Terrestrial laser scanners have become widely accessible for companies, universities and research centres in the last decade. A green-wavelength terrestrial laser scanning device is available for scan projects at the Delft University of Technology. Green-wavelength...

Characterizing Sedimentary Outcrops with Laser Scanning: Applied to Cretaceous deep marine limestone-marl sequences in the Vocontian Basin, France

The traditional approach to studying and characterizing exposed, sedimentary, or layered, rock outcrops has depended on both the experience of the geologist involved and on the accessibility of the rock surfaces themselves. Morphological characterization of an outcrop, such as its layered rock orientation and thicknesses, are features that can...

An intensified vegetation classification of the Dutch river forelands: Designing a new, automatic classification and change detection method

The current vegetation monitoring method of Rijkswaterstaat is a manual, time consuming and costly method and therefore only is performed once in six years. The vegetatielegger is a map, which shows the standard situation of the vegetation types that are allowed at any location in the river foreland area of the Netherlands. No rougher vegetation...

Change Detection in Forests Using Multi-Temporal High Density Airborne Laser Scanning Data

Remote sensing of forests with airborne laser scanning has been used increasingly in the last decades. Due to its capability to provide very detailed three-dimensional information on the structure of forests and individual trees it is very suitable to detect changes in forests. However, current change detection methods in this field often cannot...

Assessing the Accuracy of Water Temperature Determination and Monitoring of Inland Surface Waters Using Landsat 7 ETM+ Thermal Infrared Images

This research evaluates the potential of thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing to determine and continuously monitor the horizontal water temperature distribution of inland surface water bodies. Usually, monitoring temporal and spatial variability of surface water temperature takes place by measurement networks of in-situ gauges, but these...

Mapping Urban Surface Infiltration Capacity: Segment-based land cover classification with VHR imagery for urban water management and design.

Effective urban water management requires certainty about surface conditions such as the surface infiltration capacity (SIC). A SIC map of an urban catchment area could be a useful input for evidence-based urban design of water-sensitive/low-impact neighbourhoods and multitiered water management schemes for reducing flood vulnerability. Methods...

Diurnal differences in vegetation dielectric constant as a measure of water stress

Currently, vegetation is considered a barrier to soil moisture retrieval by both passive and active remote sensing missions. Microwave emission and backscattering of vegetation is driven by the vegetation dielectric constant, which is a function of vegetation water content. The latter is a measure of root zone water availability. Understanding...

The effect of 3D geometry complexity on simulating radiative, conductive and convective fluxes in an urban canyon

The Geomatics Synthesis Project (GSP) was an eight-week culminating group project by seven second-year MSc. Geomatics students. The objective was to undertake group and fieldwork through a real-world project with an external organization. In association with Laboratoire des Sciences de L'Image Informatique et Teledetection (LSIIT) at the...

Filling the white gap on the map: Photoclinometry for glacier elevation modelling

In this study the limits and potentials of the principle of photoclinometry for glacier elevation modelling is assessed. A combination of optical and laser remote sensing instruments are used to map the surface of different remote ice bodies. Loss and gain of a glaciers' mass is a good indicator for local climate. If mass-balances of glaciers...

Registration of range images using geometric features

Using ICESat/GLAS laser altimetry for water level estimations in the Mekong River

This study evaluates the potential of the Ice, Cloud and Elevation Satellite (ICESat) with the onboard Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) instrument for the monitoring of water levels in river networks. The determination of water level estimations with GLAS altimetry data in the Mekong River (Southeast Asia) is evaluated. The research...

Vibration Measurement of a Model Wind Turbine using High Speed Photogrammetry

To meet the growing demand for sustainable energy, existing wind turbines have to be made more powerful and efficient. One of the research topics to achieve this, is the aero-elastic stability limit of the blades. This can be analyzed by the vibrations that occur on the blades during normal operational conditions. In this study high speed...

Monitoring Glacier Elevation Changes over the Tibetan Plateau Using ALOS PRISM and ICESat

Glacier melting has become a key issue in the current discussion on global climate change. Glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau may be heavily affected by global warming. Hence, possible glacier melting over the plateau attracts the most attention. Possible glacier melting is evaluated via studies on mass balance of the glaciers. Glacier elevation...

De-noising terrestrial laser scanning data for roughness characterization of rock surfaces

To measure roughness a number of traditional measurement methods have been developed such as linear profiling, compass and disc clinometers. Although these measurement methods have been widely used, they are time consuming, and labor intensive. The accuracy of the local measurements depends heavily on expertise and measurements are limited to...