UAV-Based Multitemporal Remote Sensing Surveys of Volcano Unstable Flanks: A Case Study from Stromboli
UAV-based photogrammetry is becoming increasingly popular even in application fields that, until recently, were deemed unsuitable for this technique. Depending on the characteristics of the investigated scenario, the generation of three-dimensional (3D) topographic models may in fact be affected by...
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/10/2489 |
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| author | Teresa Gracchi Carlo Tacconi Stefanelli Guglielmo Rossi Federico Di Traglia Teresa Nolesini Luca Tanteri Nicola Casagli |
| author_facet | Teresa Gracchi Carlo Tacconi Stefanelli Guglielmo Rossi Federico Di Traglia Teresa Nolesini Luca Tanteri Nicola Casagli |
| author_sort | Teresa Gracchi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | UAV-based photogrammetry is becoming increasingly popular even in application fields that, until recently, were deemed unsuitable for this technique. Depending on the characteristics of the investigated scenario, the generation of three-dimensional (3D) topographic models may in fact be affected by significant inaccuracies unless site-specific adaptations are implemented into the data collection and processing routines. In this paper, an ad hoc procedure to exploit high-resolution aerial photogrammetry for the multitemporal analysis of the unstable Sciara del Fuoco (SdF) slope at Stromboli Island (Italy) is presented. Use of the technique is inherently problematic because of the homogeneous aspect of the gray ash slope, which prevents a straightforward identification of match points in continuous frames. Moreover, due to site accessibility restrictions enforced by local authorities after the volcanic paroxysm in July 2019, Ground Control Points (GCPs) cannot be positioned to constrain georeferencing. Therefore, all 3D point clouds were georeferenced using GCPs acquired in a 2019 (pre-paroxysm) survey, together with stable Virtual Ground Control Points (VGCPs) belonging to a LiDAR survey carried out in 2012. Alignment refinement was then performed by means of an iterative algorithm based on the closest points. The procedure succeeded in correctly georeferencing six high-resolution point clouds acquired from April 2017 to July 2021, whose time-focused analysis made it possible to track several geomorphological structures associated with the continued volcanic activity. The procedure can be further extended to smaller-scale analyses such as the estimation of locally eroded/accumulated volumes and pave the way for rapid UAV-based georeferenced surveys in emergency conditions at the SdF. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:55:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-25a4676ce7384a87b329b5328dc80dc9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:55:41Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-25a4676ce7384a87b329b5328dc80dc92023-11-23T12:57:06ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922022-05-011410248910.3390/rs14102489UAV-Based Multitemporal Remote Sensing Surveys of Volcano Unstable Flanks: A Case Study from StromboliTeresa Gracchi0Carlo Tacconi Stefanelli1Guglielmo Rossi2Federico Di Traglia3Teresa Nolesini4Luca Tanteri5Nicola Casagli6Earth Sciences Department, University of Florence, 50121 Firenze, ItalyEarth Sciences Department, University of Florence, 50121 Firenze, ItalyCivil Protection Centre, University of Florence, 50125 Firenze, ItalyNational Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics—OGS, 34010 Trieste, ItalyCivil Protection Centre, University of Florence, 50125 Firenze, ItalyCivil Protection Centre, University of Florence, 50125 Firenze, ItalyEarth Sciences Department, University of Florence, 50121 Firenze, ItalyUAV-based photogrammetry is becoming increasingly popular even in application fields that, until recently, were deemed unsuitable for this technique. Depending on the characteristics of the investigated scenario, the generation of three-dimensional (3D) topographic models may in fact be affected by significant inaccuracies unless site-specific adaptations are implemented into the data collection and processing routines. In this paper, an ad hoc procedure to exploit high-resolution aerial photogrammetry for the multitemporal analysis of the unstable Sciara del Fuoco (SdF) slope at Stromboli Island (Italy) is presented. Use of the technique is inherently problematic because of the homogeneous aspect of the gray ash slope, which prevents a straightforward identification of match points in continuous frames. Moreover, due to site accessibility restrictions enforced by local authorities after the volcanic paroxysm in July 2019, Ground Control Points (GCPs) cannot be positioned to constrain georeferencing. Therefore, all 3D point clouds were georeferenced using GCPs acquired in a 2019 (pre-paroxysm) survey, together with stable Virtual Ground Control Points (VGCPs) belonging to a LiDAR survey carried out in 2012. Alignment refinement was then performed by means of an iterative algorithm based on the closest points. The procedure succeeded in correctly georeferencing six high-resolution point clouds acquired from April 2017 to July 2021, whose time-focused analysis made it possible to track several geomorphological structures associated with the continued volcanic activity. The procedure can be further extended to smaller-scale analyses such as the estimation of locally eroded/accumulated volumes and pave the way for rapid UAV-based georeferenced surveys in emergency conditions at the SdF.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/10/2489UAVphotogrammetryStrombolivolcanoremote sensingmultitemporal survey |
| spellingShingle | Teresa Gracchi Carlo Tacconi Stefanelli Guglielmo Rossi Federico Di Traglia Teresa Nolesini Luca Tanteri Nicola Casagli UAV-Based Multitemporal Remote Sensing Surveys of Volcano Unstable Flanks: A Case Study from Stromboli Remote Sensing UAV photogrammetry Stromboli volcano remote sensing multitemporal survey |
| title | UAV-Based Multitemporal Remote Sensing Surveys of Volcano Unstable Flanks: A Case Study from Stromboli |
| title_full | UAV-Based Multitemporal Remote Sensing Surveys of Volcano Unstable Flanks: A Case Study from Stromboli |
| title_fullStr | UAV-Based Multitemporal Remote Sensing Surveys of Volcano Unstable Flanks: A Case Study from Stromboli |
| title_full_unstemmed | UAV-Based Multitemporal Remote Sensing Surveys of Volcano Unstable Flanks: A Case Study from Stromboli |
| title_short | UAV-Based Multitemporal Remote Sensing Surveys of Volcano Unstable Flanks: A Case Study from Stromboli |
| title_sort | uav based multitemporal remote sensing surveys of volcano unstable flanks a case study from stromboli |
| topic | UAV photogrammetry Stromboli volcano remote sensing multitemporal survey |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/10/2489 |
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