The Use of Gigapixel Photogrammetry for the Understanding of Landslide Processes in Alpine Terrain

Saverio Romeo,Lucio Di Matteo,Daniel Kieffer,Fabio Radicioni,Grazia Tosi,Aurelio Stoppini

doi:10.3390/geosciences9020099

Saverio Romeo, Lucio Di Matteo + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences9020099

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Abstract

The work in this paper illustrates an experimental application for geosciences by coupling new and low cost photogrammetric techniques: Gigapixel and Structure-from-Motion (SfM). Gigapixel photography is a digital image composed of billions of pixels (≥1000 megapixels) obtained from a conventional Digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR), whereas the SfM technique obtains three-dimensional (3D) information from two-dimensional (2D) image sequences. The field test was carried out at the Ingelsberg slope (Bad Hofgastein, Austria), which hosts one of the most dangerous landslides in the Salzburg Land. The stereographic analysis carried out on the preliminary 3D model, integrated with Ground Based Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (GBInSAR) data, allowed us to obtain the main fractures and discontinuities of the unstable rock mass.

Highlights

The use of photography always was a key part of most geological fieldwork
Gastein Bundesstraße national road and the Tauernbahn railway line are located within the potential run out area for large rockfall, some dwellings are at the toe of the landslide area
At least three main sectors with similar characteristics can be identified along the slope: the slope is composed of a source area in the upper part where the rock mass is prone to failures (Head Area), stable rock walls, and areas of debris accumulation

Summary

Introduction

The use of photography always was a key part of most geological fieldwork. It is used to document landscape changes for image analysis over time, and it is fundamental for illustrating key geological features. Nowadays numerous representations of geological information exist, most of them are in 2D images (e.g., geological maps), and only a few are in 3D images (e.g., block diagrams). One of the challenges in geological mapping consists of collecting more accurate data and integrating all the geological information to build better 3D models [1]. The use of terrestrial remote techniques with high-resolution 3D images for geological mapping and monitoring is largely tested even if not yet widely used.

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