Automatic mapping of land surface elevation changes from UAV-based imagery

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article proposes an automated method for detection and mapping of land surface elevation changes from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based imagery. In contrast to conventional methods, which require a significant human effort to succeed, the novel approach, based on multi-temporal digital terrain model analysis, detects and outlines zones of mass deposition or mass remotion with no manual input. Main components of the proposed method are: (i) a normalized difference elevation index and (ii) an automated edge-detection procedure. Performance of method is evaluated for topographic change detection in a quarry zone using a multi-temporal UAV-based imagery dataset. It is demonstrated that the proposed method allows for a rapid and automatic elevation change mapping and that results are as accurate as conventional methods based on time-consuming thresholding and visual interpretation.