Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Photogrammetre'

In recent years the science revolving image matching algorithms has gotten an upswing mostly due to its benefits in computer vision. This has led to new opportunities for photogrammetric methods to compete with LiDAR data when it comes to 3D-point clouds and generating surface models. In Sweden a project to create a high resolution national height model started in 2009 and today almost the entirety of Sweden has been scanned with LiDAR sensors. The objective for this project is to achieve a height model with high spatial resolution and high accuracy in height. As for today no update of this model is planned in the project so it’s up to each municipality or company who needs a recent height model to update themselves. This thesis aims to investigate the benefits and shortcomings of using photogrammetric measures for generating and updating surface models. Two image matching software are used, ERDAS photogrammetry and Spacemetric Keystone, to generate a 3D point cloud of a rural area in Botkyrka municipality. The point clouds are interpolated into surface models using different interpolation percentiles and different resolutions. The photogrammetric point clouds are evaluated on how well they fit a reference point cloud, the surfaces are evaluated on how they are affected by the different interpolation percentiles and image resolutions. An analysis to see if the accuracy improves when the point cloud is interpolated into a surface. The result shows that photogrammetric point clouds follows the profile of the ground well but contains a lot of noise in the forest covered areas. A lower image resolution improves the accuracy for the forest feature in the surfaces. The results also show that noise-reduction is essential to generate a surface with decent accuracy. Furthermore, the results identify problem areas in dry deciduous forest where the photogrammetric method fails to capture the forest.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004.
Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xix, 138 p.; also includes graphics (some col). Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: Anton F. Schenk, Dept. of Geodetic Science and Surveying. Includes bibliographical references (p. 130-138).

3D-Punktwolken haben die Objektvermessung in den letzten 25 Jahren signifikant verändert. Da Einzelpunktmessungen durch flächenhafte Messungen in Form von Punktwolken bei vielen Anwendungen ersetzt wurden, spricht man auch von einem Paradigmenwechsel in der Vermessung. Ermöglicht wurde diese Änderung in der Messmethodik durch die Innovationen im Instrumentenbau und die rasanten Entwicklungen der Computertechnologie. Luftgestützte und terrestrische Laserscanner sowie handgeführte 3D-Scanner liefern heute direkt dichte Punktwolken, während dichte 3D-Punkt-wolken aus Fotos bildbasierter Aufnahmesysteme indirekt abgeleitet werden, die zur detaillierten 3D-Objektrekonstruktion zunehmend eingesetzt werden. In dieser Arbeit werden Untersuchungen vorgestellt, mit denen das geometrische Genauigkeitsverhalten verschiedener scannender Messsysteme evaluiert und geprüft wurde. Während bei den untersuchten terrestrischen Laserscannern in den Untersuchungen die Genauigkeitsangaben (1 Sigma) der technischen Spezifikationen der Systemhersteller von 3-5 mm für den 3D-Punkt und die Distanzmessung eingehalten wurden, zeigten sich dagegen bei vielen untersuchten 3D-Handscannern signifikante Abweichungen gegenüber den technischen Spezifikationen. Diese festgestellten Abweichungen deuten auf eine gewisse geometrische Instabilität des jeweiligen Messsystems hin, die entweder durch die Bauweise und/oder durch eine ungenaue Systemkalibrierung (besonders hinsichtlich der Maßstäblichkeit) verursacht werden. Daher ist davon auszugehen, dass diese handgeführten 3D-Scanner offensichtlich erst am Anfang ihrer Entwicklungsphase stehen und dass noch genügend Optimierungspotential vorhanden ist. Als flexible und effiziente Alternativen zu den scannenden Messsystemen haben sich seit ca. 10 Jahren die bildbasierten Aufnahmesysteme zunehmend im Markt etabliert. Die in dieser Arbeit vorgestellten Untersuchungen des bildbasierten Aufnahme- und Auswertungsverfahren haben gezeigt, dass diese (mit Farbattributen versehene) 3D-Punktwolken, je nach Bildmaßstab und Oberflächenmaterial des Objektes, durchaus den Genauigkeiten der Laserscanner entsprechen. Gegenüber den Ergebnissen vieler 3D-Handscanner weisen die durch bildbasierte Aufnahmeverfahren generierten Punktwolken qualitativ bessere Resultate auf. Allerdings zeigte der Creaform HandySCAN 700, der auf einem photogrammetrischen Aufnahmeprinzip beruht, als einzige Ausnahme bei der handgeführten 3D-Scannern sehr gute Ergebnisse, die mit Durchschnittswerten besser als 30 Mikrometern sogar in den Bereichen der Referenzsysteme (hier Streifenprojektionssysteme) lagen. Die entwickelten Prüfverfahren und die entsprechenden durchgeführten Untersuchungen haben sich als praxistauglich erwiesen, da man auch unter zur Hilfenahme der VDI/VDE Richtlinie 2634 ver-gleichbare Ergebnisse erzielt, die dem praxisorientierten Anwender Aussagen über die Leistungsfä-higkeit des Messsystems erlauben. Bei den im statischen Modus erfassten Scans kommen noch Fehlereinflüsse durch die Registrierung der Scans hinzu, während bei kinematisch erfassten Scans die Genauigkeiten der verschiedenen (absoluten) Positionierungssensoren auf dem Fehlerhaushalt der Punktwolke addiert werden. Eine sorgfältige Systemkalibrierung der verschiedenen im kinematischen Modus arbeitenden Positionierungs- und Aufnahmesensoren des mobilen Multi-Sensor-Systems ermöglicht eine 3D-Punktgenauigkeit von ca. 3-5 cm, die unter guten Bedingungen mit höherwertigen Sensoren ggf. noch verbessert werden kann. Mit statischen Scans kann eine höhere Genauigkeit von besser als 1 cm für den 3D-Punkt erreicht werden, jedoch sind bei größeren aufzunehmenden Flächen mobile Aufnahmesysteme wesentlich effizienter. Die Anwendung definiert daher das zum Einsatz kommende Messverfahren. 3D-Punktwolken dienen als Grundlage für die Objektrekonstruktion auf verschiedenen Wegen: a) Engineering Modelling als generalisierte CAD-Konstruktion durch geometrische Primitive und b) Mesh Modelling durch Dreiecksvermaschung der Punktwolken zur exakten Oberflächenbeschreibung. Durch die Generalisierung bei der CAD-Konstruktion können sehr schnell Abweichungen vom Sollmaß von bis zu 10 cm (und größer) entstehen, allerdings werden durch die Anpassung auf geometrische Primitive eine signifikante Datenreduktion und eine topologische Strukturierung erreicht. Untersuchungen haben jedoch auch gezeigt, dass die Anzahl der Polygone bei der Dreiecksvermaschung je nach Oberflächenbeschaffenheit des Objektes auf 25% und sogar auf 10% der Originaldatenmenge bei intelligenter Ausdünnung (z.B. krümmungsbasiert) reduziert werden kann, ohne die visuelle und geometrische Qualität des Ergebnisses zu stark zu beeinträchtigen. Je nach Objektgröße können hier Abweichungen von unter einem Millimeter (z.B. bei archäologischen Fundstücken) bis zu 5 cm im Durchschnitt bei größeren Objekten erreicht werden. Heute können Punktwolken eine wichtige Grundlage zur Konstruktion der Umgebung für viele Virtual Reality Anwendungen bilden, bei denen die geometrische Genauigkeit der modellierten Objekte im Einzelfall keine herausragende Rolle spielt
3D point clouds have significantly changed the surveying of objects in the last 25 years. Since in many applications, the individual point measurements were replaced through area-based measurements in form of point clouds, a paradigm shift in surveying has been fulfilled. This change in measurement methodology was made possible with the rapid developments in instrument manufacturing and computer technology. Today, airborne and terrestrial laser scanners, as well as hand-held 3D scanners directly generate dense point clouds, while dense point clouds are indirectly derived from photos of image-based recording systems used for detailed 3D object reconstruction in almost any scale. In this work, investigations into the geometric accuracy of some of these scanning systems are pre-sented to document and evaluate their performance. While terrestrial laser scanners mostly met the accuracy specifications in the investigations, 3-5 mm for 3D points and distance measurements as defined in the technical specifications of the system manufacturer, significant differences are shown, however, by many tested hand-held 3D scanners. These observed deviations indicate a certain geometric instability of the measuring system, caused either by the construction/manufacturing and/or insufficient calibration (particularly with regard to the scale). It is apparent that most of the hand-held 3D scanners are at the beginning of the technical development, which still offers potential for optimization. The image-based recording systems have been increasingly accepted by the market as flexible and efficient alternatives to laser scanning systems for about ten years. The research of image-based recording and evaluation methods presented in this work has shown that these coloured 3D point clouds correspond to the accuracy of the laser scanner depending on the image scale and surface material of the object. Compared with the results of most hand-held 3D scanners, point clouds gen-erated by image-based recording techniques exhibit superior quality. However, the Creaform HandySCAN 700, based on a photogrammetric recording principle (stereo photogrammetry), shows as the solitary exception of the hand-held 3D scanners very good results with better than 30 micrometres on average, representing accuracies even in the range of the reference systems (here structured light projection systems). The developed test procedures and the corresponding investigations have been practically proven for both terrestrial and hand-held 3D scanners, since comparable results can be obtained using the VDI/VDE guidelines 2634, which allows statements about the performance of the tested scanning system for practice-oriented users. For object scans comprised of multiple single scan acquired in static mode, errors of the scan registration have to be added, while for scans collected in the kine-matic mode the accuracies of the (absolute) position sensors will be added on the error budget of the point cloud. A careful system calibration of various positioning and recording sensors of the mobile multi-sensor system used in kinematic mode allows a 3D point accuracy of about 3-5 cm, which if necessary can be improved with higher quality sensors under good conditions. With static scans an accuracy of better than 1 cm for 3D points can be achieved surpassing the potential of mobile recording systems, which are economically much more efficient if larger areas have to be scanned. The 3D point clouds are the basis for object reconstruction in two different ways: a) engineering modelling as generalized CAD construction through geometric primitives and b) mesh modelling by triangulation of the point clouds for the exact representation of the surface. Deviations up to 10 cm (and possibly higher) from the nominal value can be created very quickly through the generalization in the CAD construction, but on the other side a significant reduction of data and a topological struc-turing can be achieved by fitting the point cloud into geometric primitives. However, investigations have shown that the number of polygons can be reduced to 25% and even 10% of the original data in the mesh triangulation using intelligent polygon decimation algorithms (e.g. curvature based) depending on the surface characteristic of the object, without having too much impact on the visual and geometric quality of the result. Depending on the object size, deviations of less than one milli-metre (e.g. for archaeological finds) up to 5 cm on average for larger objects can be achieved. In the future point clouds can form an important basis for the construction of the environment for many virtual reality applications, where the visual appearance is more important than the perfect geometric accuracy of the modelled objects

Die 3D Particle Tracking Velocimetry (3D PTV) ist eine Methode zur bildbasierten Bestimmung von Geschwindigkeitsfeldern in Gas- oder Flüssigkeitsströmungen. Dazu wird die Strömung mit Partikeln markiert und durch ein Mehrkamerasystem beobachtet. Das Ergebnis der Datenauswertung sind 3D Trajektorien einer großen Anzahl von Partikeln, die zur statistischen Analyse der Strömung genutzt werden können. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden verschiedene neu entwickelte Modelle gezeigt, die das Einsatzspektrum vergrößern und die Leistungsfähigkeit der 3D PTV erhöhen. Wesentliche Neuerungen sind der Einsatz eines Spiegelsystems zur Generierung eines virtuellen Kamerasystems, die Modellierung von komplex parametrisierten Trennflächen der Mehrmedienphotogrammetrie, eine wahrscheinlichkeitsbasierte Trackingmethode sowie eine neuartige Methode zur tomographischen Rekonstruktion von Rastervolumendaten. Die neuen Modelle sind an drei realen Experimentieranlagen und mit synthetischen Daten getestet worden. Durch den Einsatz eines Strahlteilers vor dem Objektiv einer einzelnen Kamera und vier Umlenkspiegeln, positioniert im weiteren Strahlengang, werden vier virtuelle Kameras generiert. Diese Methode zeichnet sich vor allem durch die Wirtschaftlichkeit als auch durch die nicht notwendige Synchronisation aus. Vor allem für die Anwendung im Hochgeschwindigkeitsbereich sind diese beiden Faktoren entscheidend. Bei der Beobachtung von Phänomenen in Wasser kommt es an den Trennflächen verschiedener Medien zur optischen Brechung. Diese muss für die weitere Auswertung zwingend modelliert werden. Für komplexe Trennflächen sind einfache Ansätze über zusätzliche Korrekturterme nicht praktikabel. Der entwickelte Ansatz basiert auf der mehrfachen Brechung jedes einzelnen Bildstrahls. Dazu müssen die Trennflächenparameter und die Kameraorientierungen im selben Koordinatensystem bekannt sein. Zumeist wird die Mehrbildzuordnung von Partikeln durch die Verwendung von Kernlinien realisiert. Auf Grund von instabilen Kameraorientierungen oder bei einer sehr hohen Partikeldichte sind diese geometrischen Eigenschaften nicht mehr ausreichend, um die Mehrbildzuordnung zu lösen. Unter der Ausnutzung weiterer geometrischer, radiometrischer und physikalischer Eigenschaften kann die Bestimmung der 3D Trajektorien dennoch durchgeführt werden. Dabei werden durch die Analyse verschiedener Merkmale diejenigen ausgewählt, welche sich für die spatio-temporale Zuordnung eignen. Die 3D PTV beruht auf der Diskretisierung der Partikelabbildungen im Bildraum und der anschließenden Objektkoordinatenbestimmung. Eine rasterbasierte Betrachtungsweise stellt die tomographische Rekonstruktion des Volumens dar. Hierbei wird die Intensitätsverteilung wird im Volumen rekonstruiert. Die Bewegungsinformationen werden im Anschluss aus den Veränderungen aufeinander folgender 3D-Bilder bestimmt. Durch dieses Verfahren können Strömungen mit einer höheren Partikeldichte im Volumen analysiert werden. Das entwickelte Verfahren basiert auf der schichtweisen Entzerrung und Zusammensetzung der Kamerabilder. Die entwickelten Modelle und Ansätze sind an verschiedenen Versuchsanlagen erprobt worden. Diese unterschieden sich stark in der Größe (0,5 dm³ – 20 dm³ – 130 m³) und den vorherrschenden Strömungsgeschwindigkeiten (0,3 m/s – 7 m/s – 0,5 m/s)
3D Particle Tracking Velocimetry (3D PTV) is an image based method for flow field determination. It is based on seeding a flow with tracer particles and recording the flow with a multi camera system. The results are 3D trajectories of a large number of particles for a statistical analysis of the flow. The thesis shows different novel models to increase the spectrum of applications and to optimize efficiency of 3D PTV. Central aspects are the use of the mirror system to generate a virtual multi camera system, the modelling of complex interfaces of multimedia photogrammetry, a probability based tracking method and a novel method for tomographic reconstruction of volume raster data. The improved models are tested in three real testing facilities and with synthetic data. Using a beam splitter in front of the camera lens and deflecting mirrors arranged in the optical path, a four headed virtual camera system can be generated. This method is characterised by its economic efficiency and by the fact that a synchronisation is not necessary. These facts are important especially when using high speed cameras. When observing phenomena in water, there will be refraction at the different interfaces. This has to be taken into account and modelled for each application. Approaches which use correction terms are not suitable to handle complex optical interfaces. The developed approach is based on a multiple refraction ray tracing with known interface parameters and camera orientations. Mostly the multi image matching of particles is performed using epipolar geometry. Caused by the not stable camera orientation or a very high particle density this geometric properties are not sufficient to solve the ambiguities. Using further geometrical radiometrical and physical properties of particles, the determination of the 3D trajectories can be performed. After the analysis of different properties those of them are chosen which are suitable for spatio-temporal matching. 3D PTV bases on the discretisation of particle images in image space and the following object coordinate determination. A raster based approach is the tomographic reconstruction of the volume. Here the light intensity distribution in the volume will be reconstructed. Afterwards the flow information is determined from the differences in successive 3D images. Using tomographic reconstruction techniques a higher particle density can be analysed. The developed approach bases on a slice by slice rectification of the camera images and on a following assembly of the volume. The developed models and approaches are tested at different testing facilities. These differ in size (0.5 dm³ – 20 dm³ – 130 m³) and flow velocities (0.3 m/s – 7 m/s – 0.5 m/s)

This thesis investigates how texture classification can be used to automatically classify tree species from image of bark texture. The texture analysis methods evaluated in the thesis are, grey level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM), two different wavelet texture analysis methods and finally the scale-invariant feature transform. To evaluate the methods two classifiers, a linear support vector machine (SVM) and a kernel based import vector machine (IVM) was used. The tree species that were classified were Scotch Pine and Norwegian Spruce and the auxiliary class ground. Three experiments were conducted to test the methods. The experiments used subimages of bark extracted from terrestrial photogrammetry images. For each sub-image, the X ,Y and Z coordinates were available. Thefirst experiment compared the methods by classifying each sub-image individually based on image data alone. In the second experiment the spatial data was added. Additionally feature selection was performed in both experiments to determine the most discriminating features. In the final experiment individual trees were classified by clustering all data from each tree.For sub-image classification, the addition of spatial data increased the overall accuracy for the best method from 75.7% to 94.9% The best method was IVM on GLCM textural features. The most discriminating textural feature was homogeneity in the horizontal direction. The best methods to classify individual trees were SVM with GLCM with an overall accuracy of 88%.In summary, the methods was found to be promising for tree bark classification. However, the individual tree results were based on a low number of trees. To establish the methods' true usefulness, testing on a larger number of trees is necessary.

3D reconstruction is the process of constructing a three-dimensional model from images. It contains multiple steps where each step can induce errors. When doing 3D reconstruction of outdoor scenes, there are some types of scene content that regularly cause problems and affect the resulting 3D model. Two of these are water, due to its fluctuating nature, and sky because of it containing no useful (3D) data. These areas cause different problems throughout the process and do generally not benefit it in any way. Therefore, masking them early in the reconstruction chain could be a useful step in an outdoor scene reconstruction pipeline. Manual masking of images is a time-consuming and boring task and it gets very tedious for big data sets which are often used in large scale 3D reconstructions. This master thesis explores if this can be done automatically using Convolutional Neural Networks for semantic segmentation, and to what degree the masking would benefit a 3D reconstruction pipeline.
3D-rekonstruktion är teknologin bakom att skapa 3D-modeller utifrån bilder. Det är en process med många steg där varje steg kan medföra fel. Vid 3D-rekonstruktion av stora utomhusmiljöer finns det vissa typer av bildinnehåll som ofta ställer till problem. Två av dessa är vatten och himmel. Vatten är problematiskt då det kan fluktuera mycket från bild till bild samt att det kan innehålla reflektioner som ger olika utseenden från olika vinklar. Himmel å andra sidan ska aldrig ge upphov till 3D-information varför den lika gärna kan maskas bort. Manuell maskning av bilder är väldigt tidskrävande och dyrt. Detta examensarbete undersöker huruvida denna maskning kan göras automatiskt med Faltningsnät för Semantisk Segmentering och hur detta skulle kunna förbättra en 3D-rekonstruktionsprocess.

Um die Prozessstabilität in Verarbeitungsmaschinen auch bei hohen Ausbringungen bewerten und darauf aufbauend sicherstellen zu können ist eine geometrisch-kinematische Analyse des realen Verarbeitungsprozesses notwendig. Dazu wird im Beitrag ein optisches Hochgeschwindigkeits-Mehrkamera-Messsystem vorgestellt, mit dem auch schnelle Prozesse berührungslos analysiert werden können. Es wird gezeigt, wie durch die Zusammenführung von Bewegungsanalyse und Daten aus der Maschinensteuerung der Informationsgehalt und damit auch die Aussagefähigkeit von Messungen deutlich erhöht werden kann. Als Beispielprozess wird der intermittierende Transport kleinformatiger Stückgüter (z.B. Schokoladenriegel) gewählt.

Soil erosion is a complex geomorphological process with varying influences of different impacts at different spatio-temporal scales. To date, measurement of soil erosion is predominantly realisable at specific scales, thereby detecting separate processes, e.g. interrill erosion contrary to rill erosion. It is difficult to survey soil surface changes at larger areal coverage such as field scale with high spatial resolution. Either net changes at the system outlet or remaining traces after the erosional event are usually measured. Thus, either quasi-point measurements are extrapolated to the corresponding area without knowing the actual sediment source as well as sediment storage behaviour on the plot or erosion rates are estimated disrupting the area of investigation during the data acquisition impeding multi-temporal assessment. Furthermore, established methods of soil erosion detection and quantification are typically only reliable for large event magnitudes, very labour and time intense, or inflexible. To better observe soil erosion processes at field scale and under natural conditions, the development of a method is necessary, which identifies and quantifies sediment sources and sinks at the hillslope with high spatial resolution and captures single precipitation events as well as allows for longer observation periods. Therefore, an approach is introduced, which measures soil surface changes for multi-spatio-temporal scales without disturbing the area of interest. Recent advances regarding techniques to capture high resolution topography (HiRT) data led to several promising tools for soil erosion measurement with corresponding advantages but also disadvantages. The necessity exists to evaluate those methods because they have been rarely utilised in soil surface studies. On the one hand, there is terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), which comprises high error reliability and retrieves 3D information directly. And on the other hand, there is unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology in combination with structure from motion (SfM) algorithms resulting in UAV photogrammetry, which is very flexible in the field and depicts a beneficial perspective. Evaluation of the TLS feasibility reveals that this method implies a systematic error that is distance-related and temporal constant for the investigated device and can be corrected transferring calibration values retrieved from an estimated lookup table. However, TLS still reaches its application limits quickly due to an unfavourable (almost horizontal) scanning view at the soil surface resulting in a fast decrease of point density and increase of noise with increasing distance from the device. UAV photogrammetry allows for a better perspective (birds-eye view) onto the area of interest, but possesses more complex error behaviour, especially in regard to the systematic error of a DEM dome, which depends on the method for 3D reconstruction from 2D images (i.e. options for additional implementation of observations) and on the image network configuration (i.e. parallel-axes and control point configuration). Therefore, a procedure is developed that enables flexible usage of different cameras and software tools without the need of additional information or specific camera orientations and yet avoiding this dome error. Furthermore, the accuracy potential of UAV photogrammetry describing rough soil surfaces is assessed because so far corresponding data is missing. Both HiRT methods are used for multi-temporal measurement of soil erosion processes resulting in surface changes of low magnitudes, i.e. rill and especially interrill erosion. Thus, a reference with high accuracy and stability is a requirement. A local reference system with sub-cm and at its best 1 mm accuracy is setup and confirmed by control surveys. TLS and UAV photogrammetry data registration with these targets ensures that errors due to referencing are of minimal impact. Analysis of the multi-temporal performance of both HiRT methods affirms TLS to be suitable for the detection of erosion forms of larger magnitudes because of a level of detection (LoD) of 1.5 cm. UAV photogrammetry enables the quantification of even lower magnitude changes (LoD of 1 cm) and a reliable observation of the change of surface roughness, which is important for runoff processes, at field plots due to high spatial resolution (1 cm²). Synergetic data fusion as a subsequent post-processing step is necessary to exploit the advantages of both HiRT methods and potentially further increase the LoD. The unprecedented high level of information entails the need for automatic geomorphic feature extraction due to the large amount of novel content. Therefore, a method is developed, which allows for accurate rill extraction and rill parameter calculation with high resolution enabling new perspectives onto rill erosion that has not been possible before due to labour and area access limits. Erosion volume and cross sections are calculated for each rill revealing a dominant rill deepening. Furthermore, rill shifting in dependence of the rill orientation towards the dominant wind direction is revealed. Two field plots are installed at erosion prone positions in the Mediterranean (1,000 m²) and in the European loess belt (600 m²) to ensure the detection of surface changes, permitting the evaluation of the feasibility, potential and limits of TLS and UAV photogrammetry in soil erosion studies. Observations are made regarding sediment connectivity at the hillslope scale. Both HiRT methods enable the identification of local sediment sources and sinks, but still exhibiting some degree of uncertainty due to the comparable high LoD in regard to laminar accumulation and interrill erosion processes. At both field sites wheel tracks and erosion rills increase hydrological and sedimentological connectivity. However, at the Mediterranean field plot especially dis-connectivity is obvious. At the European loess belt case study a triggering event could be captured, which led to high erosion rates due to high soil moisture contents and yet further erosion increase due to rill amplification after rill incision. Estimated soil erosion rates range between 2.6 tha-1 and 121.5 tha-1 for single precipitation events and illustrate a large variability due to very different site specifications, although both case studies are located in fragile landscapes. However, the susceptibility to soil erosion has different primary causes, i.e. torrential precipitation at the Mediterranean site and high soil erodibility at the European loess belt site. The future capability of the HiRT methods is their potential to be applicable at yet larger scales. Hence, investigations of the importance of gullys for sediment connectivity between hillslopes and channels are possible as well as the possible explanation of different erosion rates observed at hillslope and at catchment scales because local sediment sink and sources can be quantified. In addition, HiRT data can be a great tool for calibrating, validating and enhancing soil erosion models due to the unprecedented level of detail and the flexible multi-spatio-temporal application.

Die 3D Particle Tracking Velocimetry (3D PTV) ist eine Methode zur bildbasierten Bestimmung von Geschwindigkeitsfeldern in Gas- oder Flüssigkeitsströmungen. Dazu wird die Strömung mit Partikeln markiert und durch ein Mehrkamerasystem beobachtet. Das Ergebnis der Datenauswertung sind 3D Trajektorien einer großen Anzahl von Partikeln, die zur statistischen Analyse der Strömung genutzt werden können. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden verschiedene neu entwickelte Modelle gezeigt, die das Einsatzspektrum vergrößern und die Leistungsfähigkeit der 3D PTV erhöhen. Wesentliche Neuerungen sind der Einsatz eines Spiegelsystems zur Generierung eines virtuellen Kamerasystems, die Modellierung von komplex parametrisierten Trennflächen der Mehrmedienphotogrammetrie, eine wahrscheinlichkeitsbasierte Trackingmethode sowie eine neuartige Methode zur tomographischen Rekonstruktion von Rastervolumendaten. Die neuen Modelle sind an drei realen Experimentieranlagen und mit synthetischen Daten getestet worden. Durch den Einsatz eines Strahlteilers vor dem Objektiv einer einzelnen Kamera und vier Umlenkspiegeln, positioniert im weiteren Strahlengang, werden vier virtuelle Kameras generiert. Diese Methode zeichnet sich vor allem durch die Wirtschaftlichkeit als auch durch die nicht notwendige Synchronisation aus. Vor allem für die Anwendung im Hochgeschwindigkeitsbereich sind diese beiden Faktoren entscheidend. Bei der Beobachtung von Phänomenen in Wasser kommt es an den Trennflächen verschiedener Medien zur optischen Brechung. Diese muss für die weitere Auswertung zwingend modelliert werden. Für komplexe Trennflächen sind einfache Ansätze über zusätzliche Korrekturterme nicht praktikabel. Der entwickelte Ansatz basiert auf der mehrfachen Brechung jedes einzelnen Bildstrahls. Dazu müssen die Trennflächenparameter und die Kameraorientierungen im selben Koordinatensystem bekannt sein. Zumeist wird die Mehrbildzuordnung von Partikeln durch die Verwendung von Kernlinien realisiert. Auf Grund von instabilen Kameraorientierungen oder bei einer sehr hohen Partikeldichte sind diese geometrischen Eigenschaften nicht mehr ausreichend, um die Mehrbildzuordnung zu lösen. Unter der Ausnutzung weiterer geometrischer, radiometrischer und physikalischer Eigenschaften kann die Bestimmung der 3D Trajektorien dennoch durchgeführt werden. Dabei werden durch die Analyse verschiedener Merkmale diejenigen ausgewählt, welche sich für die spatio-temporale Zuordnung eignen. Die 3D PTV beruht auf der Diskretisierung der Partikelabbildungen im Bildraum und der anschließenden Objektkoordinatenbestimmung. Eine rasterbasierte Betrachtungsweise stellt die tomographische Rekonstruktion des Volumens dar. Hierbei wird die Intensitätsverteilung wird im Volumen rekonstruiert. Die Bewegungsinformationen werden im Anschluss aus den Veränderungen aufeinander folgender 3D-Bilder bestimmt. Durch dieses Verfahren können Strömungen mit einer höheren Partikeldichte im Volumen analysiert werden. Das entwickelte Verfahren basiert auf der schichtweisen Entzerrung und Zusammensetzung der Kamerabilder. Die entwickelten Modelle und Ansätze sind an verschiedenen Versuchsanlagen erprobt worden. Diese unterschieden sich stark in der Größe (0,5 dm³ – 20 dm³ – 130 m³) und den vorherrschenden Strömungsgeschwindigkeiten (0,3 m/s – 7 m/s – 0,5 m/s).
3D Particle Tracking Velocimetry (3D PTV) is an image based method for flow field determination. It is based on seeding a flow with tracer particles and recording the flow with a multi camera system. The results are 3D trajectories of a large number of particles for a statistical analysis of the flow. The thesis shows different novel models to increase the spectrum of applications and to optimize efficiency of 3D PTV. Central aspects are the use of the mirror system to generate a virtual multi camera system, the modelling of complex interfaces of multimedia photogrammetry, a probability based tracking method and a novel method for tomographic reconstruction of volume raster data. The improved models are tested in three real testing facilities and with synthetic data. Using a beam splitter in front of the camera lens and deflecting mirrors arranged in the optical path, a four headed virtual camera system can be generated. This method is characterised by its economic efficiency and by the fact that a synchronisation is not necessary. These facts are important especially when using high speed cameras. When observing phenomena in water, there will be refraction at the different interfaces. This has to be taken into account and modelled for each application. Approaches which use correction terms are not suitable to handle complex optical interfaces. The developed approach is based on a multiple refraction ray tracing with known interface parameters and camera orientations. Mostly the multi image matching of particles is performed using epipolar geometry. Caused by the not stable camera orientation or a very high particle density this geometric properties are not sufficient to solve the ambiguities. Using further geometrical radiometrical and physical properties of particles, the determination of the 3D trajectories can be performed. After the analysis of different properties those of them are chosen which are suitable for spatio-temporal matching. 3D PTV bases on the discretisation of particle images in image space and the following object coordinate determination. A raster based approach is the tomographic reconstruction of the volume. Here the light intensity distribution in the volume will be reconstructed. Afterwards the flow information is determined from the differences in successive 3D images. Using tomographic reconstruction techniques a higher particle density can be analysed. The developed approach bases on a slice by slice rectification of the camera images and on a following assembly of the volume. The developed models and approaches are tested at different testing facilities. These differ in size (0.5 dm³ – 20 dm³ – 130 m³) and flow velocities (0.3 m/s – 7 m/s – 0.5 m/s).

Ziel des Folgeantrages war die Entwicklung der photogrammetrischen Messtechnik zur onlinefähigen Anwendung bei In-situ-Belastungsversuchen. Dies wurde mit den in Kapitel 3 beschriebenen Ansätzen erfolgreich umgesetzt. Die gewählte künstliche Texturierung der Bauteiloberflächen stellte sich als sehr geeignet heraus, um bereits kleinste Strukturveränderungen beobachten und visualisieren zu können. Durch die Verwendung einer Industriekamera konnte die onlinefähige Bildanalyse und simultane Darstellung der Ergebnisse auf dem Bildschirm umgesetzt werden. Durch die Verwendung von Dreiecken und der Ermittlung der Hauptverzerrung jedes dieser Dreiecke wurden Bereiche hoher lokaler Dehnungen (Rissentwicklung) frühzeitig detektiert. Diese frühe und automatisierte Erkennung der Rissentwicklung ermöglicht und verbessert die Beurteilung des Tragzustandes des zu untersuchenden Bauteils erheblich. Für die Beurteilung des Tragverhaltens von Stahlbetonbauteilen ohne oder mit zu geringer Bügelbewehrung wurden neben der Photogrammetrie die Schallemissionsanalyse, herkömmliche Verformungsmesstechniken und abschnittsweise Verformungsmessungen mit Neigungssensoren durchgeführt. Es zeigte sich, dass gerade die Kombination dieser Messverfahren zu einer erheblichen Verbesserung der Information über den Tragzustand des untersuchten Bauteils führte.

By using the technique of photogrammetry for the 3D visualization of ancient Egyptian coffins decorated with magical texts and iconography, this project aims at building up a new digital platform for an in-depth study of the ancient Egyptian funerary culture and its media. It has started in August 2015 through the support of a Mellon Fellowship for the Digital Humanities at UC Berkeley and up until now it has focused on ancient Egyptian coffins kept at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology of UC Berkeley. The main outcome will be a digital platform that allows to display a coffin in 3D and where users will be able to pan, rotate, and zoom in on the coffin, clicking on areas of text to highlight them and view an annotated translation together with other metadata (transcription of the hieroglyphic text, bibliography, textual variants, museological data, provenance, etc.)

Terrestrische Laserscanner finden seit einigen Jahren immer stärkere Anwendung in der Praxis und ersetzen bzw. ergänzen bisherige Messverfahren, oder es werden neue Anwendungsgebiete erschlossen. Werden die Daten eines terrestrischen Laserscanners mit photogrammetrischen Bilddaten kombiniert, ergeben sich viel versprechende Möglichkeiten, weil die Eigenschaften beider Datentypen als weitestgehend komplementär angesehen werden können: Terrestrische Laserscanner erzeugen schnell und zuverlässig dreidimensionale Repräsentationen von Objektoberflächen von einem einzigen Aufnahmestandpunkt aus, während sich zweidimensionale photogrammetrische Bilddaten durch eine sehr gute visuelle Qualität mit hohem Interpretationsgehalt und hoher lateraler Genauigkeit auszeichnen. Infolgedessen existieren bereits zahlreiche Ansätze, sowohl software- als auch hardwareseitig, in denen diese Kombination realisiert wird. Allerdings haben die Bildinformationen bisher meist nur ergänzenden Charakter, beispielsweise bei der Kolorierung von Punktwolken oder der Texturierung von aus Laserscannerdaten erzeugten Oberflächenmodellen. Die konsequente Nutzung der komplementären Eigenschaften beider Sensortypen bietet jedoch ein weitaus größeres Potenzial. Aus diesem Grund wurde im Rahmen dieser Arbeit eine Berechnungsmethode – die integrierte Bündelblockausgleichung – entwickelt, bei dem die aus terrestrischen Laserscannerdaten und photogrammetrischen Bilddaten abgeleiteten Beobachtungen diskreter Objektpunkte gleichberechtigt Verwendung finden können. Diese Vorgehensweise hat mehrere Vorteile: durch die Nutzung der individuellen Eigenschaften beider Datentypen unterstützen sie sich gegenseitig bei der Bestimmung von 3D-Objektkoordinaten, wodurch eine höhere Genauigkeit erreicht werden kann. Alle am Ausgleichungsprozess beteiligten Daten werden optimal zueinander referenziert und die verwendeten Aufnahmegeräte können simultan kalibriert werden. Wegen des (sphärischen) Gesichtsfeldes der meisten terrestrischen Laserscanner von 360° in horizontaler und bis zu 180° in vertikaler Richtung bietet sich die Kombination mit Rotationszeilen-Panoramakameras oder Kameras mit Fisheye-Objektiv an, weil diese im Vergleich zu zentralperspektiven Kameras deutlich größere Winkelbereiche in einer Aufnahme abbilden können. Grundlage für die gemeinsame Auswertung terrestrischer Laserscanner- und photogrammetrischer Bilddaten ist die strenge geometrische Modellierung der Aufnahmegeräte. Deshalb wurde für terrestrische Laserscanner und verschiedene Kameratypen ein geometrisches Modell, bestehend aus einem Grundmodell und Zusatzparametern zur Kompensation von Restsystematiken, entwickelt und verifiziert. Insbesondere bei der Entwicklung des geometrischen Modells für Laserscanner wurden verschiedene in der Literatur beschriebene Ansätze berücksichtigt. Dabei wurde auch auf von Theodoliten und Tachymetern bekannte Korrekturmodelle zurückgegriffen. Besondere Bedeutung innerhalb der gemeinsamen Auswertung hat die Festlegung des stochastischen Modells. Weil verschiedene Typen von Beobachtungen mit unterschiedlichen zugrunde liegenden geometrischen Modellen und unterschiedlichen stochastischen Eigenschaften gemeinsam ausgeglichen werden, muss den Daten ein entsprechendes Gewicht zugeordnet werden. Bei ungünstiger Gewichtung der Beobachtungen können die Ausgleichungsergebnisse negativ beeinflusst werden. Deshalb wurde die integrierte Bündelblockausgleichung um das Verfahren der Varianzkomponentenschätzung erweitert, mit dem optimale Beobachtungsgewichte automatisch bestimmt werden können. Erst dadurch wird es möglich, das Potenzial der Kombination terrestrischer Laserscanner- und photogrammetrischer Bilddaten vollständig auszuschöpfen. Zur Berechnung der integrierten Bündelblockausgleichung wurde eine Software entwickelt, mit der vielfältige Varianten der algorithmischen Kombination der Datentypen realisiert werden können. Es wurden zahlreiche Laserscannerdaten, Panoramabilddaten, Fisheye-Bilddaten und zentralperspektive Bilddaten in mehreren Testumgebungen aufgenommen und unter Anwendung der entwickelten Software prozessiert. Dabei wurden verschiedene Berechnungsvarianten detailliert analysiert und damit die Vorteile und Einschränkungen der vorgestellten Methode demonstriert. Ein Anwendungsbeispiel aus dem Bereich der Geologie veranschaulicht das Potenzial des Algorithmus in der Praxis
The use of terrestrial laser scanning has grown in popularity in recent years, and replaces and complements previous measuring methods, as well as opening new fields of application. If data from terrestrial laser scanners are combined with photogrammetric image data, this yields promising possibilities, as the properties of both types of data can be considered mainly complementary: terrestrial laser scanners produce fast and reliable three-dimensional representations of object surfaces from only one position, while two-dimensional photogrammetric image data are characterised by a high visual quality, ease of interpretation, and high lateral accuracy. Consequently there are numerous approaches existing, both hardware- and software-based, where this combination is realised. However, in most approaches, the image data are only used to add additional characteristics, such as colouring point clouds or texturing object surfaces generated from laser scanner data. A thorough exploitation of the complementary characteristics of both types of sensors provides much more potential. For this reason a calculation method – the integrated bundle adjustment – was developed within this thesis, where the observations of discrete object points derived from terrestrial laser scanner data and photogrammetric image data are utilised equally. This approach has several advantages: using the individual characteristics of both types of data they mutually strengthen each other in terms of 3D object coordinate determination, so that a higher accuracy can be achieved; all involved data sets are optimally co-registered; and each instrument is simultaneously calibrated. Due to the (spherical) field of view of most terrestrial laser scanners of 360° in the horizontal direction and up to 180° in the vertical direction, the integration with rotating line panoramic cameras or cameras with fisheye lenses is very appropriate, as they have a wider field of view compared to central perspective cameras. The basis for the combined processing of terrestrial laser scanner and photogrammetric image data is the strict geometric modelling of the recording instruments. Therefore geometric models, consisting of a basic model and additional parameters for the compensation of systematic errors, was developed and verified for terrestrial laser scanners and different types of cameras. Regarding the geometric laser scanner model, different approaches described in the literature were considered, as well as applying correction models known from theodolites and total stations. A particular consideration within the combined processing is the definition of the stochastic model. Since different types of observations with different underlying geometric models and different stochastic properties have to be adjusted simultaneously, adequate weights have to be assigned to the measurements. An unfavourable weighting can have a negative influence on the adjustment results. Therefore a variance component estimation procedure was implemented in the integrated bundle adjustment, which allows for an automatic determination of optimal observation weights. Hence, it becomes possible to exploit the potential of the combination of terrestrial laser scanner and photogrammetric image data completely. For the calculation of the integrated bundle adjustment, software was developed allowing various algorithmic configurations of the different data types to be applied. Numerous laser scanner, panoramic image, fisheye image and central perspective image data were recorded in different test fields and processed using the developed software. Several calculation alternatives were analysed, demonstrating the advantages and limitations of the presented method. An application example from the field of geology illustrates the potential of the algorithm in practice

Food resources of pelagic marine predators have traditionally been difficult to monitor and annual monitoring of food-resource availability is not currently feasible for the Weddell seal (Leptonychotes wedellii) population in Erebus Bay, Antarctica. Body mass measurements of parturient females, or their weaned pups, on an annual basis may be used as an indicator of food availability during the previous year and also provide a link between population vital rates and environmental fluctuation. Traditional methods of acquiring mass measurements, including physical restraint and/or chemical immobilization, limit the ability to sample adequately large numbers of individuals from the population of interest. Previous researchers have developed methods to estimate the mass of large seals using scaled photographs, but later application of these methods have not explicitly included uncertainty around estimates derived from predictive equations. I therefore developed the equipment and methods for estimating the mass of Weddell seals using digital photographs and image-analysis software. I then applied the method at a small scale to determine how prediction intervals may be incorporated into calculations based on mass estimates and what affect the explicit use of these intervals would have on the ability to detect differences between the mass of individuals or groups of seals. Scaled photographs of adult female and pup Weddell seals were taken from overhead, ground-level side, and ground-level head or tail perspectives. Morphometric measurements from scaled photographs (photogrammetric measurements) were then correlated using regression against the measured mass at the time of photography. Sampling occurred throughout the nursing period in order to build regression models over a wide range of masses. Resulting regression models predict the mass of adult female seals to within ±13.8% of estimated mass, and ±25.9% of estimated mass for pups. In an application of the method, differences in mass transfer between experienced and inexperienced maternal females and their pups were detected when prediction intervals were explicitly included. Detection of differences between individual seals may not be possible when prediction intervals are included with mass estimates, but estimated mass measurements should be useful for comparing mean differences across a population between years in relation to environmental variation.

Roads are an integral part of today's lifestyle. Indeed, a modern and efficient economy requires a satisfactory road network. The road network in the United Kingdom faces ever-increasing demands with 94% of passenger travel and 92% of freight transport undertaken by road. Maintenance of the network is essential. Prior to the commencement of any maintenance scheme, an accurate highway profile is measured by undertaking a detailed topographic survey of the road surface and the adjacent verges. Traditionally, this is carried out by land surveyors using, for example, a theodolite, EDM and level. Highway surveying by traditional methods is a slow, costly and dangerous process. A photogrammetric technique was devised by Photarc Surveys Ltd of Harrogate, UK to reduce the problems of speed, cost and safety. This helicopter based photographic system can yield topographic data at up to ±5mm rmse through photogrammetric analysis. It is necessary to install ground control points on the hard shoulder for use in the photogrammetric analysis. This research investigates the potential of both conventional aerial triangulation and in-flight GPS assisted aerial triangulation for reducing this ground control requirement. The original photographic system is extended to integrate a GPS positioning system and the performance of this system is assessed through a series of field trials. The results of the research show that the camera can be positioned by the GPS system to within 5 centimetres. The GPS positions can be included in the aerial triangulation to further reduce the requirement for ground control. It is shown that for mapping at the ± 5mm rmse level, there is no potential for height control reduction, even when GPS positions are used. However for mapping at up to ± 20mm, the GPS positions can enable a significant reduction in ground control.

Nous nous interessons dans cette these au probleme du controle geometrique des restitutions realisees a partir des stations de travail photogrammetrique. La photogrammetrie est un des processus d'acquisition servant a construire les systemes d'information geographique et la qualite geometrique un des aspects essentiels du probleme de la qualite. Notre objectif est d'aboutir a une methodologie de controle de la saisie pour surveiller par sondage la production d'une base de donnees topographiques ou d'une carte. Dans le premier chapitre nous situons le probleme de la saisie des donnees en presentant le cas particulier de la base de donnees de l'institut geographique national. Nous presentons le systeme de mesure utilise en photogrammetrie et l'etat de l'art en matiere d'exactitude. Le deuxieme chapitre est consacre a une etude critique des logiciels de photogrammetrie. Les analyses que nous formulons s'inscrivent dans le cadre de la mise en uvre d'un plan d'assurance de la qualite. Dans le troisieme chapitre nous presentons un ensemble de techniques statistiques destinees a l'etude d'un echantillon de mesures. Ces techniques sont celles utilisees dans nos travaux. Le chapitre quatre est consacre a la mise en uvre de la methode du controle ponctuel. Nous proposons une solution rigoureuse que nous avons validee a partir de plusieurs cas concrets. Pour l'etude des contours d'objets, la solution precedente presente quelques limites. Nous presentons dans le cinquieme chapitre une methode nouvelle et originale que nous avons appelee le controle lineaire. Elle conduit au calcul de l'exactitude planimetrique de la saisie en precisant le pourcentage de trait-carte en accord avec le trait-reference a partir de la notion de distance de hausdorff. Le dernier chapitre developpe a partir de l'etude de nombreux echantillons reels une solution generale et operationnelle pour le controle geometrique de la saisie. Nous analysons l'efficacite de la methode basee sur le controle ponctuel et lineaire

The CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image formation theory is at the foundation of 3D vision systems. Ideally, a five-element block diagram can model this process. The first block represents the nonlinear distortions caused by camera lenses. The second and third elements gather the low-pass filter effects due to lens aberrations and CCD phenomenon. A fourth block illustrates the quantization effects induced by a series of discrete photosensitive elements on the CCD and by the A/D conversion for analog cameras. The last block represents the addition of random noise on the discrete signal. Because step-like luminance transitions undergoing lens distortion remain step-like, it is possible to precisely correct for the distortions after the edge localization. The efficient distortion correction process is exactly where the camera lens calibration challenge resides. The calibration exercise also seeks the intrinsic and extrinsic camera parameters, i.e. the information that relates to the camera optics and the information that describes the location and orientation of the camera in 3D space. This thesis presents a review and evaluation of several methods designed for optimal accuracy on the parameters evaluation. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Thesis (MScEng (Mathematical Sciences. Applied Mathematics))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
When building or improving a petrochemical plant, drawings are used extensively in the design process. However, existing petrochemical plants seldom match their drawings, or the drawings are lost, forcing the need to generate a 3D model of the structure of the plant. In this thesis photogrammetry is investigated as a method of generating a digital 3D model of an existing plant. Camera modeling, target extraction and 3D reconstruction are discussed in detail, and a real-world system is investigated.

Six spatial parameters, (x, y, z) for translation, and pitch, roll, and yaw for rotation, are used to describe the 3-dimensional position and orientation of a rigid body—the 6 degrees of freedom (DOF). The ability to measure these parameters is required in a diverse range of applications including machine tool metrology, robot calibration, motion control, motion analysis, and reconstructive surgery. However, there are limitations associated with the currently available measurement systems. Shortcomings include some of the following: short dynamic range, limited accuracy, line of sight restrictions, and capital cost. The objective of this dissertation was to develop a new metrology system that overcomes line of sight restrictions, reduces system costs, allows large dynamic range and has the potential to provide high measurement accuracy.

The new metrology system proposed in this dissertation is based on a combination of photogrammetry and optical pattern projection. This system has the potential to enable real-time measurement of a small lightweight module's location. The module generates an optical pattern that is observable on the surrounding walls, and photogrammetry is used to measure the absolute coordinates of features in the projected optical pattern with respect to a defined global coordinate system. By combining these absolute coordinates with the known angular information of the optical projection beams, a minimization algorithm can be used to extract the absolute coordinates and angular orientation of the module itself. The feasibility of the proposed metrology system was first proved through preliminary experimental tests. By using a module with a 7×7 dot matrix pattern, experimental agreement of 1 to 5 parts in 10³ was obtained by translating the module over 0.9 m and by rotating it through 60°. The proposed metrology system was modeled through numerical simulations and factors affecting the uncertainty of the measurement were investigated. The simulation results demonstrate that optimum design of the projected pattern gives a lower associated measurement uncertainty than is possible by direct photogrammetric measurement with traditional tie points alone. Based on the simulation results, a few improvements have been made to the proposed metrology systems. These improvements include using a module with larger full view angle and larger number of dots, performing angle calibration for the module, using a virtual camera approach to determine the module location and employing multiple coordinates system for large range rotation measurement. With the new proposed virtual camera approach, experimental agreement at the level of 3 parts in 10⁴ was observed for the one dimension translation test. The virtual camera approach is faster than the algorithm and an additional minimization analysis is no longer needed. In addition, the virtual camera approach offers an additional benefit that it is no longer necessary to identify all dots in the pattern and so is more amenable to use in realistic and usually complicated environments. A preliminary rotation test over 120° was conducted by tying three coordinate systems together. It was observed that the absolute values of the angle differences between the measured angle and the encoder reading are smaller than 0.23° for all measurements. It is found that this proposed metrology system has the ability to measure larger angle range (up to 360°) by using multiple coordinate systems. The uncertainty analysis of the proposed system was performed through Monte Carlo simulation and it was demonstrated that the experimental results are consistent with the analysis.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2000.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 211-223).
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
There is great demand today for real-time computer vision systems, with applications including image enhancement, target detection and surveillance, autonomous navigation, and scene reconstruction. These operations generally require extensive computing power; when multiple conventional processors and custom gate arrays are inappropriate, due to either excessive cost or risk, a class of devices known as Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) can be employed. FPGAs per the flexibility of a programmable solution and nearly the performance of a custom gate array. When implementing a custom algorithm in an FPGA, one must be more efficient than with a gate array technology. By tailoring the algorithms, architectures, and precisions, the gate count of an algorithm may be sufficiently reduced to t into an FPGA. The challenge is to perform this customization of the algorithm, while still maintaining the required performance. The techniques required to perform algorithmic optimization for FPGAs are scattered across many fields; what is currently lacking is a framework for utilizing all these well known and developing techniques. The purpose of this thesis is to develop this framework for orientation and photogrammetry systems.
by Paul D. Fiore.
Ph.D.

[ES] Las playas son ambientes ecológicos sumamente valiosos donde a lo largo de una frágil franja de transición converge el entorno terrestre y el medio marino. Durante el último siglo, la mejora en la comprensión de los procesos físicos que ocurren en la zona costera se ha convertido en un asunto de máxima importancia. Para abordar una planificación coherente de la gestión costera se requiere tomar en consideración el dinamismo de los diferentes cambios morfológicos que caracterizan estos ambientes a distintas escalas espaciales y temporales. El límite tierra-agua varía en función de la posición del nivel del mar y de la forma del perfil de playa que continuamente queda modelado por las olas incidentes. Intentar modelizar la respuesta de un paisaje tan voluble geomorfológicamente como las playas requiere disponer de múltiples medidas registradas con suficiente precisión para poder reconocer su respuesta frente a la acción de los distintos agentes geomórficos. Para ello resulta esencial disponer de diferentes sistemas de monitorización capaces de registrar de forma sistemática la línea de costa con exactitud y efectividad. Se requieren nuevos métodos y herramientas informáticas que permitan capturar, caracterizar y analizar eficientemente la información con el objeto de obtener indicadores con significación geomorfológica de calidad. En esto radica el objetivo de la presente tesis doctoral, centrándose en el desarrollo de herramientas y procedimientos eficientes para la monitorización costera mediante el uso de imágenes satelitales y fotografías terrestres. El trabajo aporta soluciones de procesamiento de imágenes de satélite y fotogramétricas a científicos, ingenieros y gestores costeros, proporcionando resultados que evidencian la gran utilidad de estas técnicas viables y de bajo coste para la monitorización costera. Mediante ellas se puede convertir información pública existente y de libre acceso (imágenes satelitales, datos de video cámaras o fotografías de la ciudadanía) en datos de alta calidad para el monitoreo de los cambios morfológicos de las playas, y lograr así una consiguiente gestión sostenible de los recursos costeros.
[CAT] Les platges són ambients ecològics summament valuosos on al llarg d'una feble franja de transició convergeix l'entorn terrestre i el medi marí. En l'últim segle, la millora en la comprensió dels processos físics que ocorren en la zona costanera s'ha convertit en un assumpte de màxima importància. Per a abordar una planificació coherent de la gestió costanera es requereix prendre en consideració el dinamisme dels diferents canvis morfològics que caracteritzen aquests ambients a diferents escales espacials i temporals. El límit terra-aigua varia en funció de la posició del nivell del mar i de la forma del perfil de platja que contínuament queda modelat per les ones incidents. Intentar modelitzar la resposta d'un paisatge tan voluble geomorfològicament com les platges requereix disposar de múltiples mesures registrades amb suficient precisió per poder reconèixer la seua resposta enfront de l'acció dels diferents agents geomòrfics. Per tant, resulta essencial disposar de diferents sistemes de monitoratge capaços de registrar de forma sistemàtica la línia de costa amb exactitud i efectivitat. Es requereixen nous mètodes i eines informàtiques que permeten capturar, caracteritzar i analitzar eficientment la informació a fi d'obtindre indicadors amb significació geomorfològica de qualitat. En això radica l'objectiu de la present tesi doctoral, que es centra en el desenvolupament d'eines i procediments eficients per al monitoratge costaner mitjançant l'ús d'imatges de satèl·lit i fotografies terrestres. El treball aporta solucions de processament d'imatges de satèl·lit i fotogramètriques a científics, enginyers, polítics i gestors costaners, proporcionant resultats que evidencien la gran utilitat d'aquestes tècniques factibles i de baix cost per a la monitorització costanera. Mitjançant aquestes es pot convertir informació pública existent i de lliure accés (imatges de satèl·lit, dades de videocàmeres o fotografies de la ciutadania) en dades d'alta qualitat per al monitoratge dels canvis morfològics de les platges, i aconseguir així una consegüent gestió sostenible dels recursos costaners.
[EN] Beaches are extremely valuable ecological spaces where terrestrial and marine environments converge along a fragile transition strip. An improvement in our understanding of the physical processes that occur in the coastal zone has become increasingly important during the last century. To approach a coherent planning of coastal management it is necessary to consider the dynamism of the various morphological changes that characterize these environments at different spatial and temporal scales. The land-water boundary varies according to the sea level and the shape of a beach profile that is continuously modelled by incident waves. Attempting to model the response of a landscape as geomorphologically volatile as beaches requires multiple precise measurements to recognize responses to the actions of various geomorphic agents. It is therefore essential to have monitoring systems capable of systematically recording the shoreline accurately and effectively. New methods and tools are required to efficiently capture, characterize, and analyze information - and so obtain geomorphologically significant indicators. This is the aim of the doctoral thesis, focusing on the development of tools and procedures for coastal monitoring using satellite images and terrestrial photographs. The work brings satellite image processing and photogrammetric solutions to scientists, engineers, and coastal managers by providing results that demonstrate the usefulness of these viable and low-cost techniques. Existing and freely accessible public information (satellite images, video-derived data, or crowd-sourced photographs) can be converted into high quality data for monitoring morphological changes on beaches and thus help achieve a sustainable management of coastal resources.
Agradecer al Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte del Gobierno de España por la beca predoctoral FPU, y por las ayudas de movilidad concedidas, que han permitido que esta Tesis Doctoral fuera una realidad. También a los proyectos AICO/2015/098 y CGL2015-69906-R financiados respectivamente por la Generalitat Valenciana y por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad.
Sánchez García, E. (2019). Photogrammetry and image processing techniques for beach monitoring [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/123956
TESIS

Bibliography: leaves 117-125.
The task of recording our physical heritage is of significant importance: our past cannot be divorced from the present and it plays an integral part in the shaping of our future. This applies not only to structures that are hundreds of years old, but relatively more recent architectural structures also require adequate documentation if they are to be preserved for future generations. In recording such structures, the traditional 2D methods are proving inadequate. It will be beneficial to conservationists, archaeologists, researchers, historians and students alike if accurate and extensive digital 3D models of archaeological structures can be generated. This thesis investigates a method of creating such models, using digital photogrammetry. Three different types of model were generated: 1. the simple CAD (Computer Aided Design) model; 2. an amalgamation of 3D line drawings; and 3. an accurate surface model of the building using DSMs (Digital Surface Models) and orthophotos.

Um dos problemas que vêm sendo discutidos pela comunidade cartográfica brasileira é a atualização de documentos cartográficos, gerando estudos que procuram alternativas confiáveis, rápidas e econômicas para esta atividade. Este trabalho apresenta uma proposta metodológica rápida e econômica de atualização cartográfica, onde a premissa básica será a utilização de um estereopar híbrido, composto por uma fotografia aérea 23 x 23 cm (que foi utilizada no mapeamento existente) digitalizada matricialmente, e por uma imagem aérea digital recente obtida com uma câmara digital. Além disso, este trabalho apresenta discussões e resultados sobre a visualização estereoscópica do estereopar híbrido, quando utilizada para a detecção das alterações, e a extração das feições identificadas, completando assim o processo de atualização cartográfica. Esta estratégia de combinação de fontes diferentes de dados, para a formação de modelos estereoscópicos, pode acelerar o processo de revisão e atualização cartográfica reduzindo os custos e obtendo resultados satisfatórios.
Updating of cartographic documents have been discussed by the Brazilian cartographic community, generating studies that look for reliable, fast and economical alternatives for this activity. This work presents a fast and economical methodological proposal for cartographic updating, in which the basic approach is the use of a hybrid stereo-pair, composed by a 23 x 23 cm scanned aerial photography (that was used in the existing mapping), and by a recent digital aerial image, acquired by a digital camera. Besides that, discussions and results on the stereoscopic visualization of the hybrid stereo-pair are presented, focusing on change detection and extraction of the identified features, aiming cartographic updating. This strategy of combinating different sources of data, for stereoscopic models reconstruction can speed up the revision process and cartographic updating, reducing the costs and obtaining reliable results.

Numerous simulation and control applications of mobile robotics require accurate kinematic models. A kinematic model relates the position and orientation of a robot to control inputs. This thesis proposes a non-intrusive methodology to calibrate kinematic models for wheeled mobile robots. Model calibration requires accurate measurement of kinematic state and robust estimation techniques to account for process and measurement uncertainty. A photogrammetric camera system is used to measure the kinematic trajectory of wheeled mobile robot. A fully projective formulation of Lowe's pose recovery algorithm is used to estimate robot pose from monocular images. A derivative free form of the extended Kalman filter is applied to the time series pose data to estimate robot model parameters. Experimental results are presented for a differential wheeled mobile robot. Calibration by photogrammetry is shown to be viable for typical mobile robot applications.

This study proposes and demonstrates a through-water photogrammetry approach for Satellite Derived Bathymetry (SDB), which may be used to map nearshore bathymetry in the Canadian Arctic. A four step process is used: First, a standard photogrammetric extraction is performed on 2 m resolution WorldView stereo imagery, then apparent depths are calculated by referencing submerged points to the extracted elevation of the water level seen in the image. Due to the effects of refraction, these apparent depths are underestimates, and a refraction correction factor is applied to convert to actual depths. Finally, tidal stage at the time of image acquisition is used to bring depths to chart datum. A post processing step may be applied to remove erroneous depths caused by water surface objects such as boats, debris, or large waves. This was demonstrated in six study areas across Nunavut, Canada to test its robustness under a variety of environmental conditions, including different seafloor types, and under varying sea states. The six study sites were (with vertical accuracy given in Root Mean Square Error/and vertical bias, both in meters): eastern Coral Harbour (1.18/0.03), western Coral Harbour (0.78/-0.32), Cambridge Bay (1.16/0.08), Queen Maud Gulf (0.97/0.13), Arviat (1.02/0.13), and Frobisher Bay, where bathymetry extraction largely failed due to unfavourable sea surface conditions. These findings show that the proposed method has similar or better vertical accuracy as currently established SDB approaches; however, it has several benefits over the established methods which make it better suited for the Arctic. Namely, not requiring the precise atmospheric correction necessary for physics-based models, which is difficult at high latitudes; as well as being able to function in heterogeneous seafloor environments and not needing in-situ calibration data like the empirical spectral ratio approach, better suiting it to remote Arctic waters which often lack existing bathymetric survey data.

Ziel des Folgeantrages war die Entwicklung der photogrammetrischen Messtechnik zur onlinefähigen Anwendung bei In-situ-Belastungsversuchen. Dies wurde mit den in Kapitel 3 beschriebenen Ansätzen erfolgreich umgesetzt. Die gewählte künstliche Texturierung der Bauteiloberflächen stellte sich als sehr geeignet heraus, um bereits kleinste Strukturveränderungen beobachten und visualisieren zu können. Durch die Verwendung einer Industriekamera konnte die onlinefähige Bildanalyse und simultane Darstellung der Ergebnisse auf dem Bildschirm umgesetzt werden. Durch die Verwendung von Dreiecken und der Ermittlung der Hauptverzerrung jedes dieser Dreiecke wurden Bereiche hoher lokaler Dehnungen (Rissentwicklung) frühzeitig detektiert. Diese frühe und automatisierte Erkennung der Rissentwicklung ermöglicht und verbessert die Beurteilung des Tragzustandes des zu untersuchenden Bauteils erheblich. Für die Beurteilung des Tragverhaltens von Stahlbetonbauteilen ohne oder mit zu geringer Bügelbewehrung wurden neben der Photogrammetrie die Schallemissionsanalyse, herkömmliche Verformungsmesstechniken und abschnittsweise Verformungsmessungen mit Neigungssensoren durchgeführt. Es zeigte sich, dass gerade die Kombination dieser Messverfahren zu einer erheblichen Verbesserung der Information über den Tragzustand des untersuchten Bauteils führte.

This study demonstrates the value of historical aerial photographs as a source for monitoring long-term landslide evolution, which can be unlocked by using appropriate photogrammetric methods. The understanding of landslide mechanisms requires extensive data records; a literature review identified quantitative data on surface movements as a key element for their analysis. It is generally acknowledged that, owing to the flexibility and high degree of automation of modern digital photogrammetric techniques, it is possible to derive detailed quantitative data from aerial photographs. In spite of the relative ease of such techniques, there is only scarce research available on data quality that can be achieved using commonly available material, hence the motivation of this study. In two landslide case-studies (the Mam Tor and East Pentwyn landslides) the different types of products were explored, that can be derived from historical aerial photographs. These products comprised geomorphological maps, automatically derived elevation models (DEMs) and displacement vectors. They proved to be useful and sufficiently accurate for monitoring landslide evolution. Comparison with independent survey data showed good consistency, hence validating the techniques used. A wide range of imagery was used in terms of quality, media and format. Analysis of the combined datasets resulted in improvements to the stochastic model and establishment of a relationship between image ground resolution and data accuracy. Undetected systematic effects provided a limiting constraint to the accuracy of the derived data, but the datasets proved insufficient to quantify each factor individually. An important advancement in digital photogrammetry is image matching, which allows automation of various stages of the working chain. However, it appeared that the radiometric quality of historical images may not always assure good results, both for extracting DEMs and vectors using automatic methods. It can be concluded that the photographic archive can provide invaluable data for landslide studies, when modern photogrammetric techniques are being used. As ever, independent and appropriate checks should always be included in any photogrammetric design.

Understanding the response of glaciers to climate change is critical if estimates of future sea level rise are to be better constrained. A significant portion of recent sea level rise is thought to be from small glaciers, unfortunately these are scattered around the world making their contribution extremely difficult to quantify. Contributions tend to be reported for regions or groupings of glaciers and one of the regions with the largest potential contribution is the Arctic. This region has been identified as being extremely sensitive to climate fluctuations and is expected to be one of the first regions to respond to future climate change. The aim of this research is to quantify the surface change two key glaciers on Svalbard, one of the largest groupings, of glaciers in the Arctic. Surface change will be quantified through the use of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) derived from aerial images. The quality of the derived surface is dependent on the quality of the ground data used to generate and validate the model. For this reason, extensive field work was conducted to install a network of accurate GPS points around the study glaciers. A Failure Warning Model (FWM) method is used to assess the reliability of the DEMs and the technique is developed through the implementation of a Multiple input Failure Warning Model (MiFWM) method that is more robust. This thesis shows that both study glaciers have experienced significant change during the study period. The calculated rates of change were comparable both to other ground based estimates and other photogrammetric estimates. In addition, the results do not contradict the suggestion that ground based monitoring methods consistently underestimate glaciers contribution to sea level.

Since 2011, Structure-from-Motion Multi-View Stereo Photogrammetry (SfM or SfM-MVS) has gone from an overlooked computer vision technique to an emerging methodology for collecting low-cost, high spatial resolution three-dimensional data for topographic or surface modeling in many academic fields. This dissertation examines the applications of SfM to the field of fluvial geomorphology. My research objectives for this dissertation were to determine the error and uncertainty that are inherent in SfM datasets, the use of SfM to map and monitor geomorphic change in a small river restoration project, and the use of SfM to map and extract data to examine multi-scale geomorphic patterns for 32 kilometers of the Middle Fork John Day River. SfM provides extremely consistent results, although there are systematic errors that result from certain survey patterns that need to be accounted for in future applications. Monitoring change on small restoration stream channels with SfM gave a more complete spatial perspective than traditional cross sections on small-scale geomorphic change. Helicopter-based SfM was an excellent platform for low-cost, large scale fluvial remote sensing, and the data extracted from the imagery provided multi-scalar perspectives of downstream patterns of channel morphology. This dissertation makes many recommendations for better and more efficient SfM surveys at all of the spatial scales surveyed. By implementing the improvements laid out here and by other authors, SfM will be a powerful tool that will make 3D data collection more accessible to the wider geomorphic community.

Due to the changing climate and inherent atypically occurring meteorological events in the Arctic regions, more accurate snow quality predictions are needed in order to support the Sámi reindeer herding communities in northern Sweden that struggle to adapt to the rapidly changing Arctic climate. Spatial snow depth distribution is a crucial parameter not only to assess snow quality but also for multiple environmental research and social land use purposes. This contrasts with the current availability of affordable and efficient snow monitoring methods to estimate such an extremely variable parameter in both space and time. In this thesis, a novel approach to determine spatial snow depth distribution in challenging alpine terrain is presented and tested during a field campaign performed in Tarfala, Sweden in April 2019. A multispectral camera capturing five spectral bands in wavelengths between 470 and 860 nanometers on board of a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is deployed to derive 3D snow surface models via photogrammetric image processing techniques. The main advantage over conventional photogrammetric surveys is the utilization of accurate RTK positioning technology that enables direct georeferencing of the images, and thus eliminates the need for ground control points and dangerous and time-consuming fieldwork. The continuous snow depth distribution is retrieved by differencing two digital surface models corresponding to the snow-free and snow-covered study areas. An extensive error assessment based on ground measurements is performed including an analysis of the impact of multispectral imagery. Uncertainties and non-transparencies due to a black-box environment in the photogrammetric processing are, however, present, but accounted for during the error source analysis. The results of this project demonstrate that the proposed methodology is capable of producing high-resolution 3D snow-covered surface models (< 7 cm/pixel) of alpine areas up to 8 hectares in a fast, reliable and cost-efficient way. The overall RMSE of the snow depth estimates is 7.5 cm for data acquired in ideal survey conditions. The proposed method furthermore assists in closing the scale gap between discrete point measurements and regional-scale remote sensing, and in complementing large-scale remote sensing data by providing an adequate validation source. As part of the Swedish cooperation project ’Snow4all’, the findings of this project are used to support and validate large-scale snow models for improved snow quality prediction in northern Sweden.
På grund av klimatförändringar och naturliga meteorologiska händelser i arktis behövs mer exakta snökvalitetsprognoser för att stödja samernas rensköttsamhällen i norra Sverige som har problem med att anpassa sig till det snabbt föränderliga arktiska klimatet. Rumslig snödjupsfördelning är en avgörande parameter för att inte bara bedöma snökvaliteten utan även för flera miljöforskning och sociala markanvändningsändamål. Detta står i motsats till den nuvarande tillgången till överkomliga och effektiva metoder för snöövervakning för att uppskatta sådan extremt varierande parameter i tid och rum. I detta arbete presenteras och testas en ny metod för att bestämma rumslig snödjupssdistribution i utmanande alpin terräng under en fältstudie som genomfördes i Tarfala i norra Sverige i april 2019. Via fotogrammetrisk bildbehandlingsteknik hämtades snöytemodeller i 3D med hjälp av en multispektral kamera monterad på en liten obemannad drönare. En viktig fördel, i jämförelse med konventionella fotogrammetriska undersökningar, är användningen av exakt RTK-positioneringsteknik som möjliggör direkt georeferencing och eliminerar behovet av markkontrollpunkter. Den kontinuerliga snödjupfördelningen hämtas genom att ytmodellerna delas upp i snöfria respektive snötäckta undersökningsområden. En omfattande felsökning som baseras på markmätningar utförs, inklusive en analys av effekten av multispektrala bilder. Resultaten från denna studie visar att den famtagna metoden kan producera högupplösta snötäckta höjdmodeller i 3D (< 7 cm/pixel) av alpina områden på upp till 8 hektar på ett snabbt, pålitligt och kostnadseffektivt sätt. Den övergripande RMSE för det beräknade snödjupet är 7,5 cm för data som förvärvats under idealiska undersökningsförhållanden. Som ett led i det svenska projektet “Snow4all” används resultaten från projektet för att förbättra och validera storskaliga snömodeller för att bättre förutse snökvaliteten i norra Sverige.

This thesis provided the foundational work for a low-cost three-dimensional (3D) printed custom knee brace. Specifically, the objective was to research, develop and implement a novel workflow aimed to be easy to use and available to anyone who has access to a smartphone camera and 3D printing services. The developed workflow was used to manufacture two prototypes which proved valuable in the design iterations. As a result, an improved hinge was designed which has increased mechanical strength. Additionally, a smartphone photogrammetry validation study was included which provided preliminary results on the accuracy and precision. This novel measurement method has the potential to require little training and could be disseminated through video instructions posted online. The intention is to enable the patient to collect their own “3D scan” with the help of a friend or family member, effectively removing the need to book an appointment simply for collecting custom measurements. Lastly, it would allow the clinician to focus all their time on clinically relevant design tasks such as checking alignment, fit and comfort, which could all potentially be improved by adopting such digital methods. The ultimate vision for this work is to enable manufacturing of better custom knee braces at a reduce cost which are easily accessible for low-income populations.

The Givens orthogonalization algorithm is an efficient alternative to the normal equations method for solving many adjustment problems in photogrammetry. The Givens method is one of a class of methods for solving linear systems known generally as orthogonalization or QR methods. It allows for sequential processing and greatly simplifies the computation of statistics on the observations and residuals. The underlying reason for these advantages is the immediate availability of the orthogonal Q matrix, which is computed as the data are processed and is intimately related to the statistics needed for blunder detection. One of these statistics, the F statistic computed from externally studentized residuals, is both easily obtained and well-suited for blunder detection. The Givens method requires nearly four times the number of computations as compared to the normal equations approach in order to reach a solution. However, depending on the size of the problem, blunder detection through the normal equations requires far more computer time than is required when starting with a Givens decomposition. The method allows a user to review intermediate results, test residuals and modify the solution without having to compute a full solution. Adjustments of a level net and a single-photo resection are used to demonstrate the method. Because of the advantage in computational time, the Givens method is superior to the normal equations approach when rigorous blunder detection is required.
Master of Science

Inertial measurement units (IMUs) are devices that sense accelerations and angular rates in 3D so that vehicles and other devices can estimate their orientations, positions, and velocities. While traditionally large, heavy, and costly, using mechanical gyroscopes and stabilized platforms, the recent development of micro-electromechanical sensor (MEMS) IMUs that are small, light, and inexpensive has led to their adoption in many everyday systems such as cell phones, video game controllers, and commercial drones. MEMS IMUs, despite their advantages, have major drawbacks when it comes to accuracy and reliability. The idea of using more than one of these sensors in an array, instead of using only one, and fusing their outputs to generate an improved solution is explored in this thesis.

Photogrammetry and laser scanning are remote sensing technologies with the potential to monitor movements of rock masses and their support systems in underground mine environments. Displacements underground are traditionally measured through point measurement devices, such as extensometers. These are generally restricted to measuring one dimension, may change behavior with installation, may obstruct mining operations, and are restricted to monitoring the behavior of a small area. Photogrammetry and laser scanning offer the ability to monitor rock mass movements at millions of points in a local area, both accurately and quickly. An improved, or augmented, method for measuring displacements underground in a practical, cost-effective manner will lead to an improved understanding of rock mass behavior. Several experiments were performed that demonstrate the applicability of these remote sensing techniques to monitoring rock mass changes. An underground mining environment presents unique challenges to using these tools for monitoring rock movements, such as: poor lighting, dust, fog, and unfavorable geometries. It is important, therefore, to demonstrate that these tools which have applications in other industries, can also be adapted to the conditions of an underground mine. The study sites chosen include two different underground limestone mines, two different underground coal mines, and the Mine Roof Simulator (MRS) at the Pittsburgh Office of Mine Safety and Health Research. Both photogrammetry and laser scanning were tested at different limestone mines to detect scaling and spalling on ribs that occurred over several weeks. Both methods were successfully used to reconstruct three-dimensional models of the limestone ribs and detect areas of rock change between visits. By comparing the reconstructed point clouds, and the triangulated meshes created from them, volumes of rock change could be quantified. The laser scanned limestone mine showed a volume of 2.3 m3 and 2.6 m3 being displaced across two ribs between visits. The photogrammetry study involved seven different pillars and at least one rib face modeled on each, with volume changes of 0.29 to 4.03 m3 detected between visits. The rock displaced from the ribs could not be measured independently of the remote sensing, but a uniform absence of rock movement across large areas of the mine validates the accuracy of the point clouds. A similar test was performed using laser scanning in an underground coal mine, where the displacement was induced by removing material by hand from the ribs. Volume changes as small as 57 cm3, or slightly larger than a golf ball, and as large as 57,549 cm3, were detectable in this environment, despite the change in rib surface reflectance and mine geometry. In addition to the rib displacement, photogrammetry was selected as a tool for monitoring standing supports in underground coal mines. The additional regulatory restrictions of underground coal may preclude the use of laser scanning in these mines where deformation is most likely to occur. The camera used for photogrammetry is ATEX certified as explosion proof and is indicative of the specifications that could be expected in an MSHA approved camera. Three different experiments were performed with this camera, including a laboratory controlled standing support deformation at the MRS and an in-mine time-lapse experiment measuring the response of a wooden crib and steel support to abutment loading. The experiment reconstructing a standing support in the MRS showed a cumulative convergence of 30.93 cm through photogrammetry and 30.48 cm as measured by the system. The standing support monitoring in the underground coal mine environment showed a steel support cumulative convergence of 1.10 cm, a wooden crib cumulative convergence of 0.62 cm, and a measured cumulative convergence on the wooden crib of 0.62 cm. These techniques explored in this report are not intended to supplant, but rather supplement, existing measurement technologies. Both laser scanning and photogrammetry have physical and regulatory limitations in their application to measuring underground mine deformations, however, their ability to provide time-lapse three-dimensional measurements of entire mine sections is a strength difficult to emulate with traditional point measurement techniques. A fast, cost-effective, and practical application of remote sensing to monitoring mine displacements will improve awareness and understanding of rock mass behavior.
Ph. D.