Automated Generation of Digital Terrain Model using Point Clouds of Digital Surface Model in Forest Area

Kande R.M.U Bandara,Rajendra P Shrestha,Yoshikazu Kamiya,Lal Samarakoon

doi:10.3390/rs3050845

Kande R.M.U Bandara, Rajendra P Shrestha + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/rs3050845

Copy DOI

Abstract

At present, most of the digital data acquisition methods generate Digital Surface Model (DSM) and not a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Conversion from DSM to DEM still has some drawbacks, especially the removing of off terrain point clouds and subsequently the generation of DEM within these spaces even though the methods are automated. In this paper it was intended to overcome this issue by attempting to project off terrain point clouds to the terrain in forest areas using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) instead of removing them and then filling gaps by interpolation. Five sites were tested and accuracies assessed. They all give almost the same results. In conclusion, the ANN has ability to obtain the DEM by projecting the DSM point clouds and greater accuracies of DEMs were obtained. If the size of the hollow areas resulting from the removal of DSM point clouds are larger the accuracies are reduced.

Highlights

Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is one of the important components of the digital spatial data environment and its applications
Digital Surface Model (DSM), it has proven that Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) have the ability to reduce the DSM to DEM points with higher accuracy
When few points are available inside the Earth cover objects removed areas, the accuracy of the DEM interpolation can be improved by obtaining many points by ANN

Summary

Introduction

Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is one of the important components of the digital spatial data environment and its applications. In Earth Sciences, the elevation refers to the height from the Mean. Sea Level (MSL) to the bald Earth surface. The digital representation of such measurements is called a Remote Sens. An elevation model can be represented as regular or irregular point clouds formed into a mathematical model. In order to represent the continuous Earth surface these point clouds should form into the shape of the surface. There are various methods for doing this and Triangulated Irregular

Objectives

Results

Conclusion