Preliminary morpho-structural analyses of the summit craters of Etna, in the last 4 Years, based on data extracted through SfM technique

Author(s):  
Cristina Proietti ◽  
Massimo Cantarero ◽  
Emanuela De Beni

<p>Morphological changes of the summit craters of active volcanoes are of pivotal interest in volcano monitoring because they could be the consequences of volcanic activities and represent the prelude of dangerous events.<br>Several methodologies have been used during the years in the volcanological monitoring, starting from ground measurements and remote sensing techniques such as aerial observation and satellite data analysis.  However, in the last decade UAVs have emerged in monitoring active volcanoes. In fact, they represent tools of indisputable value due to their relatively low cost, speed in mission planning, repeatability of surveys for data acquisition and increased operator safety.<br>During the last 4 Years we performed 15 UAVs surveys and 3 from helicopter to monitor the four summit craters of ETNA. The acquired data have been processed through structure-from-motion photogrammetric software to extract DEMs and orthomosaics with resolution ranging between 5 and 20 cm. A multi-temporal comparison of the extracted data has been successively performed on a GIS platform with the final aims of performing morpho-structural analyses of Etna summit craters, identifying areas of structural weakness, that could indicate areas of possible lateral collapses, and computing volume balances between gained and lost volumes.<br>The presented elaborations could help to quantify the hazard related to Etna summit eruptive activity and to mitigate the risk on an area visited by several tourists, especially in summer time.</p>

Author(s):  
M. Sapena ◽  
L. A. Ruiz

The monitoring and modelling of the evolution of urban areas is increasingly attracting the attention of land managers and administration. New data, tools and methods are being developed and made available for a better understanding of these dynamic areas. We study and analyse the concept of landscape fragmentation by means of GIS and remote sensing techniques, particularly focused on urban areas. Using LULC data obtained from the European Urban Atlas dataset developed by the local component of Copernicus Land Monitoring Services (scale 1:10,000), the urban fragmentation of the province of Rome is studied at 2006 and 2012. A selection of indices that are able to measure the land cover fragmentation level in the landscape are obtained employing a tool called <i>IndiFrag</i>, using as input data LULC data in vector format. In order to monitor the urban morphological changes and growth patterns, a new module with additional multi-temporal metrics has been developed for this purpose. These urban fragmentation and multi-temporal indices have been applied to the municipalities and districts of Rome, analysed and interpreted to characterise quantity, spatial distribution and structure of the urban change. This methodology is applicable to different regions, affording a dynamic quantification of urban spatial patterns and urban sprawl. The results show that urban form monitoring with multi-temporal data using these techniques highlights urbanization trends, having a great potential to quantify and model geographic development of metropolitan areas and to analyse its relationship with socioeconomic factors through the time.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Javier Carrillo-Reche ◽  
Adrian C. Newton ◽  
Richard S. Quilliam

Abstract A low-cost technique named ‘on-farm’ seed priming is increasingly being recognized as an effective approach to maximize crop establishment. It consists of anaerobically soaking seeds in water before sowing resulting in rapid and uniform germination, and enhanced seedling vigour. The extent of these benefits depends on the soaking time. The current determination of optimal soaking time by germination assays and mini-plot trials is resource-intensive, as it is species/genotype-specific. This study aimed to determine the potential of the seed respiration rate (an indicator of metabolic activity) and seed morphological changes during barley priming as predictors of the priming benefits and, thus, facilitate the determination of optimal soaking times. A series of germination tests revealed that the germination rate is mostly attributable to the rapid hydration of embryo tissues, as the highest gains in the germination rate occurred before the resumption of respiration. Germination uniformity, however, was not significantly improved until seeds were primed for at least 8 h, that is, after a first respiration burst was initiated. The maximum seedling vigour was attained when the priming was stopped just before the beginning of the differentiation of embryonic axes (20 h) after which vigour began to decrease (‘over-priming’). The onset of embryonic axis elongation was preceded by a second respiration burst, which can be used as a marker for priming optimization. Thus, monitoring of seed respiration provides a rapid and inexpensive alternative to the current practice. The method could be carried out by agricultural institutions to provide recommended optimal soaking times for the common barley varieties within a specific region.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 1617
Author(s):  
Silviu-Adrian Predoi ◽  
Carmen Steluta Ciobanu ◽  
Mikael Motelica-Heino ◽  
Mariana Carmen Chifiriuc ◽  
Monica Luminita Badea ◽  
...  

In the present study, a new low-cost bioceramic nanocomposite based on porous hydroxyapatite (HAp) and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as surfactant was successfully obtained by a simple chemical co-precipitation. The composition and structure of the HAp-CTAB were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometer, and N2 adsorption/desorption analysis. The capacity of HAp-CTAB nanocomposites to remove the lead ions from aqueous solutions was studied by adsorption batch experiments and proved by Langmuir and Freundlich models. The Pb2+ removal efficiency of HAp-CTAB biocomposite was also confirmed by non-destructive ultrasound studies. The cytotoxicity assays showed that the HAp-CTAB nanocomposites did not induce any significant morphological changes of HeLa cells after 24 h of incubation or other toxic effects. Taken together, our results suggests that the obtained porous HAp-CTAB powder could be used for the decontamination of water polluted with heavy metals, such as Pb2+.


IoT ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-32
Author(s):  
Philip Knight ◽  
Cai Bird ◽  
Alex Sinclair ◽  
Jonathan Higham ◽  
Andy Plater

A low-cost “Internet of Things” (IoT) tide gauge network was developed to provide real-time and “delayed mode” sea-level data to support monitoring of spatial and temporal coastal morphological changes. It is based on the Arduino Sigfox MKR 1200 micro-controller platform with a Measurement Specialties pressure sensor (MS5837). Experiments at two sites colocated with established tide gauges show that these inexpensive pressure sensors can make accurate sea-level measurements. While these pressure sensors are capable of ~1 cm accuracy, as with other comparable gauges, the effect of significant wave activity can distort the overall sea-level measurements. Various off-the-shelf hardware and software configurations were tested to provide complementary data as part of a localized network and to overcome operational constraints, such as lack of suitable infrastructure for mounting the tide gauges and for exposed beach locations.


Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 2339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Ramirez-Atencia ◽  
David Camacho

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have become very popular in the last decade due to some advantages such as strong terrain adaptation, low cost, zero casualties, and so on. One of the most interesting advances in this field is the automation of mission planning (task allocation) and real-time replanning, which are highly useful to increase the autonomy of the vehicle and reduce the operator workload. These automated mission planning and replanning systems require a Human Computer Interface (HCI) that facilitates the visualization and selection of plans that will be executed by the vehicles. In addition, most missions should be assessed before their real-life execution. This paper extends QGroundControl, an open-source simulation environment for flight control of multiple vehicles, by adding a mission designer that permits the operator to build complex missions with tasks and other scenario items; an interface for automated mission planning and replanning, which works as a test bed for different algorithms, and a Decision Support System (DSS) that helps the operator in the selection of the plan. In this work, a complete guide of these systems and some practical use cases are provided


Author(s):  
Charles Marseille ◽  
Martin Aubé ◽  
Africa Barreto Velasco ◽  
Alexandre Simoneau

The aerosol optical depth is an important indicator of aerosol particle properties and associated radiative impacts. AOD determination is therefore very important to achieve relevant climate modeling. Most remote sensing techniques to retrieve aerosol optical depth are applicable to daytime given the high level of light available. The night represents half of the time but in such conditions only a few remote sensing techniques are available. Among these techniques, the most reliable are moon photometers and star photometers. In this paper, we attempt to fill gaps in the aerosol detection performed with the aforementioned techniques using night sky brightness measurements during moonless nights with the novel CoSQM: a portable, low cost and open-source multispectral photometer. In this paper, we present an innovative method for estimating the aerosol optical depth by using an empirical relationship between the zenith night sky brightness measured at night with the CoSQM and the aerosol optical depth retrieved at daytime from the AErosol Robotic NETwork. Such a method is especially suited to light-polluted regions with light pollution sources located within a few kilometers of the observation site. A coherent day-to-night aerosol optical depth and &Aring;ngstr&ouml;m Exponent evolution in a set of 354 days and nights from August 2019 to February 2021 was verified at the location of Santa Cruz de Tenerife on the island of Tenerife, Spain. The preliminary uncertainty of this technique was evaluated using the variance under stable day-to-night conditions, set at 0.02 for aerosol optical depth and 0.75 for &Aring;ngstr&ouml;m Exponent. These results indicate the set of CoSQM and the proposed methodology appear to be a promising tool to add new information on the aerosol optical properties at night, which could be of key importance to improve climate predictions.


Author(s):  
M. Possoch ◽  
S. Bieker ◽  
D. Hoffmeister ◽  
A. Bolten ◽  
J. Schellberg ◽  
...  

Remote sensing of crop biomass is important in regard to precision agriculture, which aims to improve nutrient use efficiency and to develop better stress and disease management. In this study, multi-temporal crop surface models (CSMs) were generated from UAV-based dense imaging in order to derive plant height distribution and to determine forage mass. The low-cost UAV-based RGB imaging was carried out in a grassland experiment at the University of Bonn, Germany, in summer 2015. The test site comprised three consecutive growths including six different nitrogen fertilizer levels and three replicates, in sum 324 plots with a size of 1.5×1.5 m. Each growth consisted of six harvesting dates. RGB-images and biomass samples were taken at twelve dates nearly biweekly within two growths between June and September 2015. Images were taken with a DJI Phantom 2 in combination of a 2D Zenmuse gimbal and a GoPro Hero 3 (black edition). Overlapping images were captured in 13 to 16 m and overview images in approximately 60 m height at 2 frames per second. The RGB vegetation index (RGBVI) was calculated as the normalized difference of the squared green reflectance and the product of blue and red reflectance from the non-calibrated images. The post processing was done with Agisoft PhotoScan Professional (SfM-based) and Esri ArcGIS. 14 ground control points (GCPs) were located in the field, distinguished by 30 cm × 30 cm markers and measured with a RTK-GPS (HiPer Pro Topcon) with 0.01 m horizontal and vertical precision. The errors of the spatial resolution in x-, y-, z-direction were in a scale of 3-4 cm. From each survey, also one distortion corrected image was georeferenced by the same GCPs and used for the RGBVI calculation. The results have been used to analyse and evaluate the relationship between estimated plant height derived with this low-cost UAV-system and forage mass. Results indicate that the plant height seems to be a suitable indicator for forage mass. There is a robust correlation of crop height related with dry matter (R² = 0.6). The RGBVI seems not to be a suitable indicator for forage mass in grassland, although the results provided a medium correlation by combining plant height and RGBVI to dry matter (R² = 0.5).


1993 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 235 ◽  
Author(s):  
RM Johnston ◽  
MM Barson

This study aimed to develop simple remote-sensing techniques suitable for mapping and monitoring wetlands, using Landsat TM imagery of inland wetland sites in Victoria and New South Wales. A range of classification methods was examined in attempts to map the location and extent of wetlands and their vegetation types. Multi-temporal imagery (winter/spring and summer) was used to display seasonal variability in water regime and vegetation status. Simple density slicing of the mid-infrared band (TM5) from imagery taken during wet conditions was useful for mapping the location and extent of inundated areas. None of the classification methods tested reproduced field maps of dominant vegetation species; however, density slicing of multi-temporal imagery produced classes based on seasonal variation in water regime and vegetation status that are useful for reconnaissance mapping and for examining variability in previously mapped units. Satellite imagery is unlikely to replace aerial photography for detailed mapping of wetland vegetation types, particularly where ecological gradients are steep, as in many riverine systems. However, it has much to offer in monitoring changes in water regime and in reconnaissance mapping at regional scales.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Mauri ◽  
Eugenio Straffelini ◽  
Sara Cucchiaro ◽  
Paolo Tarolli

&lt;p&gt;The presence of roads is closely linked with the activation of land degradative phenomena such as landslides. Factors such as ineffective road management and design, local rainfall regimes and specific geomorphological elements actively influence landslides occurrence. In this context, recent developments in digital photogrammetry (e.g. Structure from Motion; SfM) paired with Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) increase our possibilities to realize low-cost and recurrent topographic surveys. This allows the realization of multi-temporal (hereafter 4D) and high-resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), fundamental to analyse geomorphological features and quantify processes at the fine spatial and temporal resolutions at which they occur. In this research is presented a 4D comparison of geomorphological indicators describing a landslide-prone agricultural system, so as to detect the noticed high-steep slope failures. The possibility to analyse the evolution of landslide geomorphic features in steep agricultural systems through high-resolution and 4D comparison of such indicators is still a challenge to be investigated. In this research, we considered a case study located in the central Italian Alps, where two shallow landslides (L1, L2) were activated below a rural road within a terraced vineyard. The dynamics of the landslides were monitored through the comparison of repeated DEMs (DEM of Difference, i.e. DoD), that reported erosion values of above 20 m&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt; and 10 m&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt; for the two landslides zones and deposition values of more than 15 m&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt; and 9 m&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt; respectively. The elaboration of Relative Path Impact Index (RPII) highlighted the role played by the road in the alteration of surface water flow directions. Altered water flows were expressed by values between 2&amp;#963; and 4&amp;#963; of RPII close to the collapsed surfaces. The increasing of profile curvature and roughness index described landslides evolution over time. Finally, the multi-temporal comparison of features extraction underlined the geomorphological changes affecting the study area. The computation of the quality index underlined the accuracy of features extraction. This index is expressed in a range between 0 (low accuracy) and 1 (high accuracy) and resulted equal to 0.22 m, regarding the landslide observed during the first RPAS survey (L1-pre); 0.63 m, concerning the same landslide detected during the second RPAS survey (L1-post); 0.69 m for L2. Results prove the usefulness of high-resolution and 4D RPAS-based SfM surveys for the investigation of landslides triggering due to the presence of roads at hillslope scale in agricultural systems. This work could be a useful starting point for further studies of landslide-susceptible zones at a wider scale, to preserve the quality and the productivity of affected agricultural areas.&lt;/p&gt;


Author(s):  
Dandaev R.R. ◽  
Okazova Z.P.

Morphological changes in plants are widely used as an indicator. This is an important indicator parameter. The reason for its widespread use is its low cost, availability and simplicity of research, no need for highly qualified personnel and the presence of a special laboratory. Numerous studies are devoted to the standardization of the test material and the conditions for its use. The national monitoring system of all developed countries includes a large arsenal of morphological indicators, which made it possible to create maps of anthropogenic impacts. The aim of the research is to study the possibility of using morphological changes in plants as a parameter of bioindication assessment. Material and methods: theoretical - analysis of literature on the problem of environmental monitoring, laboratory. Assessment of the degree of plant change is associated with internal factors and different sensitivity of plant organisms. For the purpose of active monitoring, a large group of plants is recommended. For passive monitoring and determination of the consequences of environmental pollution, indicator signs of plants growing freely in the study area are used. Bioindication methods are useful for assessing the state of the environment. The study of the reaction of plants to the level of pollution makes it possible to assess its consequences. The study of urban communities makes it possible to develop ways to stabilize them, for example, by changing loads. Bioindication is an important addition to instrumental methods.


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