Digital Commons Network^™

Exploration Of The Mtsat2 Satellite Capabilities For Real Time Detection And Characterization Of Volcanic Emissions, Nicholas R. Stewart

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

In this report, we attempt to define the capabilities of the infrared satellite remote sensor, Multifunctional Transport Satellite-2 (MTSAT-2) (i.e. a geosynchronous instrument), in characterizing volcanic eruptive behavior in the highly active region of Indonesia. Sulfur dioxide data from NASA's Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) (i.e. a polar orbiting instrument) are presented here for validation of the processes interpreted using the thermal infrared datasets. Data provided from two case studies are analyzed specifically for eruptive products producing large thermal anomalies (i.e. lava flows, lava domes, etc.), volcanic ash and SO₂ clouds; three distinctly characteristic and abundant volcanic emissions. Two primary …

Object-Based Classification Of Earthquake Damage From High-Resolution Optical Imagery Using Machine Learning, James Bialas

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Object-based approaches to the segmentation and supervised classification of remotely-sensed images yield more promising results compared to traditional pixel-based approaches. However, the development of an object-based approach presents challenges in terms of algorithm selection and parameter tuning. Subjective methods and trial and error are often used, but time consuming and yield less than optimal results. Objective methods are warranted, especially for rapid deployment in time sensitive applications such as earthquake induced damage assessment.

Our research takes a systematic approach to evaluating object-based image segmentation and machine learning algorithms for the classification of earthquake damage in remotely-sensed imagery using Trimble’s eCognition …

Assessment Of Land Cover And Riparian Zones For The Ford Research Forest - Hickey Creek/Sturgeon River And Falls River Subwatersheds, Fay Dearing

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

For landowners, knowing the contents of their land is always a primary concern. Traditional field based assessments can be challenging and expensive for large landholdings as well. However, by utilizing remote sensing and GIS models the land cover/land use and riparian areas can be more easily identified on a larger landscape level. To this end two remote sensing techniques were explored to create a land cover/land use map for the study area. The first, utilizing object-oriented techniques and high spatial resolution generated an overall accuracy of 71.97% which indicated a moderate agreement with the classified image and the field truthed …

Application Of An Imputation Method For Geospatial Inventory Of Forest Structural Attributes Across Multiple Spatial Scales In The Lake States, U.S.A., Ram K. Deo

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Credible spatial information characterizing the structure and site quality of forests is critical to sustainable forest management and planning, especially given the increasing demands and threats to forest products and services. Forest managers and planners are required to evaluate forest conditions over a broad range of scales, contingent on operational or reporting requirements. Traditionally, forest inventory estimates are generated via a design-based approach that involves generalizing sample plot measurements to characterize an unknown population across a larger area of interest. However, field plot measurements are costly and as a consequence spatial coverage is limited. Remote sensing technologies have shown remarkable …

Implementation Of Photogrammetry To Improve Proactive Assessment Of Retaining Walls Along Transportation Corridors, Daniel J. Cerminaro

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Retaining walls are important assets in the transportation infrastructure and assessing their condition is important to prolong their performance and ultimately their design life. Retaining walls are often overlooked and only a few transportation asset management programs consider them in their inventory. Because these programs are few, the techniques used to assess their condition focus on a qualitative assessment as opposed to a quantitative approach. The work presented in this thesis focuses on using photogrammetry to quantitatively assess the condition of retaining walls. Multitemporal photogrammetry is used to develop 3D models of the retaining walls, from which offset displacements are …

Beyond Roots Alone: Novel Methodologies For Analyzing Complex Soil And Minirhizotron Imagery Using Image Processing And Gis Tools, Justina A. Silva

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Quantifying belowground dynamics is critical to our understanding of plant and ecosystem function and belowground carbon cycling, yet currently available tools for complex belowground image analyses are insufficient. We introduce novel techniques combining digital image processing tools and geographic information systems (GIS) analysis to permit semi-automated analysis of complex root and soil dynamics. We illustrate methodologies with imagery from microcosms, minirhizotrons, and a rhizotron, in upland and peatland soils. We provide guidelines for correct image capture, a method that automatically stitches together numerous minirhizotron images into one seamless image, and image analysis using image segmentation and classification in SPRING or …

Deep Learning Methods For Multiband Explosive Hazard Detection Using L-Band And X-Band Forward-Looking Ground-Penetrating Radar, John T. Becker

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Explosive hazards are one of the most deadly threats in modern conflicts. The U.S. Army is interested in a reliable way to detect these hazards at range. A promising way of accomplishing this task is using a forward-looking ground-penetrating radar (FLGPR) system. Recently, the Army has been testing a system that utilizes both L-band and X-band radar arrays on a vehicle mounted platform. Using data from this system, we sought to improve the performance of a constant false-alarm-rate (CFAR) prescreener through the use of three deep learning architechtures; deep belief networks (DBNs), stacked denoising autoencoders (SDAEs), and convolutional neural networks …

A Study Of So2 Emissions And Ground Surface Displacements At Lastarria Volcano, Antofagasta Region, Northern Chile, Lucie Guihem Krewcun

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Lastarria volcano (Chile) is located at the North-West margin of the `Lazufre' ground inflation signal (37x45 km²), constantly uplifting at a rate of ~2.5 cm/year since 1996 (Pritchard and Simons 2002; Froger et al. 2007). The Lastarria volcano has the double interest to be superimposed on a second, smaller-scale inflation signal and to be the only degassing area of the Lazufre signal. In this project, we compared daily SO2 burdens recorded by AURA's OMI mission for 2005-2010 with Ground Surface Displacements (GSD) calculated from the Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) images for 2003-2010.

We found a constant maximum displacement rate …

Application Of Remote Sensing In Aquatic Ecosystems, Foad Yousef

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

I utilized state the art remote sensing and GIS (Geographical Information System) techniques to study large scale biological, physical and ecological processes of coastal, nearshore, and offshore waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. These processes ranged from chlorophyll a and primary production time series analysies in Lake Michigan to coastal stamp sand threats on Buffalo Reef in Lake Superior. I used SeaWiFS (Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor) satellite imagery to trace various biological, chemical and optical water properties of Lake Michigan during the past decade and to investigate the collapse of early spring primary production. Using spatial analysis techniques, I …

Tandem-X High Resolution Dems And Their Applications To Flow Modeling, Kelly M. Wooten

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Lava flow modeling can be a powerful tool in hazard assessments; however, the ability to produce accurate models is usually limited by a lack of high resolution, up-to-date Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). This is especially obvious in places such as Kilauea Volcano (Hawaii), where active lava flows frequently alter the terrain. In this study, we use a new technique to create high resolution DEMs on Kilauea using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from the TanDEM-X (TDX) satellite. We convert raw TDX SAR data into a geocoded DEM using GAMMA software [Werner et al., 2000]. This process can be completed in …

Characterizing The First Historic Eruption Of Nabro, Eritrea: Insights From Thermal And Uv Remote Sensing, Christine Ruth Sealing

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

June 2011 saw the first historic eruption of Nabro volcano, one of an ongoing sequence of eruptions in the Afar-Red Sea region since 2005. It halted air travel in northern Africa, contaminated food and water sources, and displaced thousands from their homes. Due to its remote location, little was known about this event in terms of the quantity of erupted products and the timing and mechanisms of their emplacement. Geographic isolation, previous quiescence and regional civil unrest meant that this volcano was effectively unmonitored at the time of eruption, and opportunities for field study are limited. Using free, publicly available …