Abstract
This study presents the operational framework for rapid, very-high resolution mapping of glacial geomorphology, with the use of budget Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and a structure-from-motion approach. The proposed workflow comprises seven stages: (1) Preparation and selection of the appropriate platform; (2) transport; (3) preliminary on-site activities (including optional ground-control-point collection); (4) pre-flight setup and checks; (5) conducting the mission; (6) data processing; and (7) mapping and change detection. The application of the proposed framework has been illustrated by a mapping case study on the glacial foreland of Hørbyebreen, Svalbard, Norway. A consumer-grade quadcopter (DJI Phantom) was used to collect the data, while images were processed using the structure-from-motion approach. The resultant orthomosaic (1.9 cm ground sampling distance—GSD) and digital elevation model (7.9 cm GSD) were used to map the glacial-related landforms in detail. It demonstrated the applicability of the proposed framework to map and potentially monitor detailed changes in a rapidly evolving proglacial environment, using a low-cost approach. Its coverage of multiple aspects ensures that the proposed framework is universal and can be applied in a broader range of settings.
Highlights
The ongoing glacier retreat has resulted in the continuous exposure of proglacial areas
The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)-generated images came with coordinates from the onboard GNSS system (GPS+GLONASS), which was generally adequate, in terms of accuracy, for mapping purposes
The ground control points were identified, manually, on all visible images; this process was guided by the software
Summary
The ongoing glacier retreat has resulted in the continuous exposure of proglacial areas. Such areas contain important information about the glacial process–form relationships that manifest themselves in specific landform assemblages (glacial landsystems). The preservation potential of freshly exposed glacial landforms can be very low, as proglacial terrains are one of the most dynamic parts of the glaciated landscapes (cf [1,2,3,4]). The annual patterns of recession and the relatively small areas exposed every year mean that carrying out regular aerial or satellite survey is expensive and, impractical. Recent advances in technology have enabled the development of low-cost alternatives for traditional aerial surveys [5,6,7,8,9,10].
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