scholarly journals Evolution of some Mediterranean landscapes of Central Italy from historical aerial photographs

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (2s) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Nicolina Ripa ◽  
Francesco Ciapanna ◽  
Goffredo Filibeck ◽  
Federica Gobattoni ◽  
Antonio Leone ◽  
...  

Aerial photos represent the main existent database providing evidence of landscape changes with high detail. The analysis of land cover changes plays a key role in understanding a great variety of phenomena in several research fields. Landscapes are made by society and reflect the changing society and attitude towards the environment. The reorientation of farming system, the practical results of planning processes, the rate and magnitude of the changes in the landscape are some of the most important factors relating to the evolution of our landscapes and are very helpful for the understanding of evolution processes and consequently for the design of landscape-orientated policies. Pressures upon the landscape and values of our landscapes can be defined according to their traditional characteristics; traditional landscapes can be defined as those landscapes having a distinct and recognizable structure, which reflect relations between the composing elements and have a significance for natural, cultural or aesthetical values. In most cases, such landscapes evolved slowly and took centuries to form their values. Sometimes land changes happen fast and spread in vast areas so that some agricultural or natural landscapes, widely perceived as traditional, have very recent origin. In this paper, some preliminary observation and case-studies performed on a set of historical photos are dealt with. In 1935, the Italian Land Register Department commissioned SARA company to survey Viterbo province between 1935-1938 through aerial photographs. During the survey, 5,000 photographs on glass plates were taken at a very low altitude, featuring a very high resolution. Thus, they represents a valuable source of information for documenting past and present land-use practices, local cultural heritage and changes in the landscape. Processing this set of historical photos has started, aimed to quantitatively and qualitatively analyse the 1935-1938 landscape patterns and their role in the development of nowadays landscapes.

2010 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sojan Mathew ◽  
Robin G.D. Davidson-Arnott ◽  
Jeff Ollerhead

Greenwich Dunes, Prince Edward Island National Park, is a sandy mainland and barrier spit beach–dune complex stretching for about 10 km along the northeast shore of Prince Edward Island, Canada. In October 1923, surge associated with an intense storm produced catastrophic overwash along the whole length of the study area. Subsequent evolution of the system was quantified from historic aerial photographs taken in 1936, 1953, 1971, 1997, and 2005. Orthophoto mosaics were generated for each photo set using PCI Geomatica OrthoEngine, a digital photogrammetric software. Linear changes in shoreline position and areal changes in geomorphic units were evaluated for each photo set. In addition, digital elevation models (DEMs) were extracted from the 1953, 1971, and 1997 aerial photos, enabling analysis of topographic and volumetric changes. The 1936 photos show complete destruction of all foredunes, with overwash and transgressive dunes extending 300 to 600 m inland. A descriptive model of the stages of evolution of the system is proposed based on the processes controlling overwash healing and dune stabilization. Detailed topographic and volumetric changes associated with the development of an extensive transgressive dunefield and subsequent stabilization as a result of reduced sand supply due to the growth of a new vegetated foredune complex and vegetation colonization are doccumented for each stage. It was nearly 40 years before a continuous foredune system was re-established and a further 30 years before the inland transgressive dunes became completely stabilized.


2002 ◽  
Vol 2 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 57-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Cardinali ◽  
P. Reichenbach ◽  
F. Guzzetti ◽  
F. Ardizzone ◽  
G. Antonini ◽  
...  

Abstract. We present a geomorphological method to evaluate landslide hazard and risk. The method is based on the recognition of existing and past landslides, on the scrutiny of the local geological and morphological setting, and on the study of site-specific and historical information on past landslide events. For each study area a multi-temporal landslide inventory map has been prepared through the interpretation of various sets of stereoscopic aerial photographs taken over the period 1941–1999, field mapping carried out in the years 2000 and 2001, and the critical review of site-specific investigations completed to solve local instability problems. The multi-temporal landslide map portrays the distribution of the existing and past landslides and their observed changes over a period of about 60 years. Changes in the distribution and pattern of landslides allow one to infer the possible evolution of slopes, the most probable type of failures, and their expected frequency of occurrence and intensity. This information is used to evaluate landslide hazard, and to estimate the associated risk. The methodology is not straightforward and requires experienced geomorphologists, trained in the recognition and analysis of slope processes. Levels of landslide hazard and risk are expressed using an index that conveys, in a simple and compact format, information on the landslide frequency, the landslide intensity, and the likely damage caused by the expected failure. The methodology was tested in 79 towns, villages, and individual dwellings in the Umbria Region of central Italy.


2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theo Van Der Sluis ◽  
Thanasis Kizos ◽  
Bas Pedroli

Abstract The Mediterranean landscape has been rapidly changing over the past decades. Many regions saw a population decline, which resulted in changing land use, abandonment of marginal lands and colonisation by shrubs and tree species. Typical features like farming terraces, olive yards, and upland grasslands have been decreasing over the past 50 years. This results in a declining biodiversity and loss of traditional Mediterranean landscapes. In this paper we assess the landscape changes that took place in two areas, in Portofino, on the Italian Riviera, and Lesvos, a Greek island near the Turkish coast. We compared land use maps and aerial photographs over the past decades to quantify the land use changes in these two areas. Additional information was acquired from farmers’ interviews and literature. We found that changes are related to societal changes in the appraisal of agricultural land uses, and to the urban expansion, tourism and recreation. These diffuse processes are a result of policy measures and autonomous societal transformations. This is confirmed by the results of two interview surveys: between 1999 and 2012 agricultural land use in Portofino regional Park and buffer zone further marginalised, and the associated landscape changes are perceived as a substantial loss of character and identity. This problem is emblematic for large parts of the Mediterranean. Comparing different landscapes reveal similar processes of landscape change, which can be related to similar driving forces. Based on such comparisons, we learn about possible trajectories of change, and ask for a comprehensive approach to land use management.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji Won Suh ◽  
William Ouimet

<p>Orthomosaics from aerial photographs play a pivotal role in understanding land-use/land cover in broad area and the advent of image processing technology allows us to produce orthoimagery. However, recent advanced technologies are seldom applied to produce historical orthophotos from early or mid 20C old aerial photos in broad extent since they have limited information (e.g. camera position, flying altitude, and yaw) which is critical information for orthomosaics. In this context, this study aims to orthomosaic and georectify historical aerial photographs and validate the horizontal accuracy of orthomosacicked outputs. In order to achieve this, firstly, we collected 117 aerial photographs of 1934 (scale 1:12,000) and 68 of 1951 (scale 1:20,000) from UConn air photo achieve focused on Woodstock town in Connecticut, USA. Secondly, we created GCPs (Ground Control Points) as referenced points where they have not changed over time by overlaying multiple datasets such as LiDAR DEM, hillshade map, recent orthoimagery. Thirdly, we align photos with Control Points (CPs), build a mesh, and build orthomosaics of 1934 and 1951, respectively, using Agisoft Photoscan 1.5. Lastly, calculating RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) and offsets comparing between set of GCPs and CPs from Lidar DEM and set of them digitized from orthomosaics. As a result, RMSE values of GCPs and CPs between 1934 and 1951 mostly show that output of this work is acceptable to use for standard mapping and GIS work or visualization based on ASPRS 1990 horizonal accuracy standard. In addition, we found several factors affect horizontal accuracy of orthomosaics; resolution of aerial photos, spatial distribution of GCPs and CPs, the number of CPs and GCPs, the percentage of lateral overlapping area along flight strips, and margin area. Overall, applying automated orthomosaicking image processing to historical aerial photographs has the potential to represent historical landscape and even detect its change in broad extent.</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-107
Author(s):  
Indreswari Suroso ◽  
Erwhin Irmawan

In the world of photography is very closely related to the unmanned aerial vehicle called drones. Drones mounted camera so that the plane is pilot controlled from the mainland. Photography results were seen by the pilot after the drone aircraft landed. Drones are unmanned drones that are controlled remotely. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), is a flying machine that operates with remote control by the pilot. Methode for this research are preparation assembly of drone, planning altitude flying, testing on ground, camera of calibration, air capture, result of aerial photos and analysis of result aerial photos. There are two types of drones, multicopter and fixed wing. Fixed wing  has an airplane like shape with a wing system. Fixed wing use bettery 4000 mAh . Fixed wing drone in this research used   mapping in  This drone has a load ability of 1 kg and operational time is used approximately 30 minutes for an areas 20 to 50 hectares with a height of 100 m  to 200 m and payload 1 kg  above ground level. The aerial photographs in Kotabaru produce excellent aerial photographs that can help mapping the local government in the Kotabaru region.


Author(s):  
Dimitris Kaimaris ◽  
Petros Patias ◽  
Olga Georgoula

The interpretation of photos and the processing of Google Earth imagery which allowed the “random” discovery, as a result of a non-systematical research, of a numerous marks of buried constructions in the wide area of the city of Larisa (Thessaly, Greece) is presented in this project. Additional data as aerial photographs over time, satellite images and the digital terrain model of the same area has been used. From the numerous marks, this project mainly focuses on three positions where the positive marks (soilmarks or/and cropmarks), circular or/and linear, reveal on a satisfying level covered construction of great dimensions. The ongoing research activity of the editorial team along with this research highlights the advantages of using Google Earth imagery in an attempt to “random” mark of unknown covered constructions, or, in the frame of a systematic survey of aerial and remote sensing archaeology, as additional and not exclusive source of information.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maher Ibrahim Sameen ◽  
Biswajeet Pradhan ◽  
Omar Saud Aziz

Classification of aerial photographs relying purely on spectral content is a challenging topic in remote sensing. A convolutional neural network (CNN) was developed to classify aerial photographs into seven land cover classes such as building, grassland, dense vegetation, waterbody, barren land, road, and shadow. The classifier utilized spectral and spatial contents of the data to maximize the accuracy of the classification process. CNN was trained from scratch with manually created ground truth samples. The architecture of the network comprised of a single convolution layer of 32 filters and a kernel size of 3 × 3, pooling size of 2 × 2, batch normalization, dropout, and a dense layer with Softmax activation. The design of the architecture and its hyperparameters were selected via sensitivity analysis and validation accuracy. The results showed that the proposed model could be effective for classifying the aerial photographs. The overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient of the best model were 0.973 and 0.967, respectively. In addition, the sensitivity analysis suggested that the use of dropout and batch normalization technique in CNN is essential to improve the generalization performance of the model. The CNN model without the techniques above achieved the worse performance, with an overall accuracy and Kappa of 0.932 and 0.922, respectively. This research shows that CNN-based models are robust for land cover classification using aerial photographs. However, the architecture and hyperparameters of these models should be carefully selected and optimized.


2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 402-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenghai Yang ◽  
James H. Everitt ◽  
John A. Goolsby

AbstractGiant reed is an invasive weed throughout the southern half of the United States, with the densest stands growing along the coastal rivers of southern California and the Rio Grande in Texas. The objective of this study was to use aerial photography to map giant reed infestations and to estimate infested areas along the Texas–Mexico portion of the Rio Grande. Aerial color-infrared photographs were taken along the Rio Grande between Brownsville and El Paso, TX, in June and July 2002. Based on the aerial photographs and ground surveys, the portion of the river from San Ygnacio to Lajitas, which has a river length of 898 km (558 mi), was found to be infested with giant reed. To estimate infested areas along both sides of the river, 65 (13.5%) of the 480 aerial photographs taken between Lajitas and San Ygnacio were randomly selected. The aerial photographs were digitized, rectified to Google Earth imagery, and then classified using maximum-likelihood classification techniques. The infested areas on both sides of the river, as well as water area and river length, from each photographic image were determined. Based on the estimates from the 65 aerial photos, the ratio of giant reed area to water area and the ratio of giant reed area to river length were calculated. The total giant reed area along the Rio Grande between Lajitas and San Ygnacio was estimated to be 5,981 ha (14,779 ac) with 3,714 ha or 62% on the U.S. side and 2,267 ha or 38% on the Mexican side. This study provides the first accurate estimates of giant reed infestations along the Texas–Mexico portion of the Rio Grande and will be useful for both land owners and government agencies for the estimation of water usage and economic loss and for the management and control of giant reed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (8) ◽  
pp. 85 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Jiménez Fernández-Palacios ◽  
A. Rizzi ◽  
F. Remondino

<p>Archaeological 3D digital documentation of monuments and historical sites should be considered a precious source of information and it can be very useful for preservation, conservation, restoration and reconstruction of Cultural Heritage. This paper reports a work dealing with 3D surveying and modeling of different Etruscan heritage sites, featuring necropolis with underground frescoed tombs dating back to VII-IV century B.C., located in the area corresponding roughly to the actual central Italy. The project “Etruscans in 3D” was born with the aim of digital documentation, study, analyses and preservation of Etruscan heritage monuments and sites, but also to create digital contents for virtual visits, museum exhibitions, virtual and augmented reality, better access and communication of the<br />heritage information.</p>


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