Evaluation of an Experimental LiDAR for Surveying a Shallow, Braided, Sand-Bedded River
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 133, Issue 7
Abstract
Reaches of a shallow , braided, sand-bedded river were surveyed in 2002 and 2005 with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Experimental Advanced Airborne Research LiDAR (EAARL) and concurrently with conventional survey-grade, real-time kinematic, global positioning system technology. The laser pulses transmitted by the EAARL instrument and the return backscatter waveforms from exposed sand and submerged sand targets in the river were completely digitized and stored for postflight processing. The vertical mapping accuracy of the EAARL was evaluated by comparing the ellipsoidal heights computed from ranging measurements made using an EAARL terrestrial algorithm to nearby ( apart) ground-truth ellipsoidal heights. After correcting for apparent systematic bias in the surveys, the root mean square error of these heights with the terrestrial algorithm in the 2002 survey was for the 26 measurements taken on exposed sand and for the 59 measurements taken on submerged sand. In the 2005 survey, the root mean square error was for 92 measurements taken on exposed sand and for 434 measurements on submerged sand. In submerged areas the waveforms were complicated by reflections from the surface, water column entrained turbidity, and potentially the riverbed. When applied to these waveforms, especially in depths greater than , the terrestrial algorithm calculated the range above the riverbed. A bathymetric algorithm has been developed to approximate the position of the riverbed in these convolved waveforms and preliminary results are encouraging.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to thank the National Audubon Society and the Nebraska Public Power District for allowing access to reaches of the Platte River located on their properties. Assistance with the EAARL postflight processing software ALPS (Airborne Laser Processing Software) was kindly provided by Amar Nayegandhi (U.S. Geological Survey) and Richard Mitchell (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). This research was supported by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Venture Capital Fund. The use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 133 • Issue 7 • July 2007
Pages: 838 - 842
Copyright
© 2007 ASCE.
History
Received: Aug 31, 2005
Accepted: Oct 3, 2006
Published online: Jul 1, 2007
Published in print: Jul 2007
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