Methodology to Combine Topography and Bathymetry Data Sets for Hydrodynamic Simulations: Case of Tagus River
Publication: Journal of Surveying Engineering
Volume 142, Issue 4
Abstract
Recent techniques for acquiring elevation, such as the advanced synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometric techniques, enable the creation of very detailed models in a short time. However, because of its incapacity to penetrate the water, the collection of bathymetric information in water-covered areas must be performed with other techniques. Thus, data compatibility is a key factor for two-dimensional (2D) hydrodynamic simulations because a single elevation model is required in general. Such operation is often challenging, because it is not simply obtainable by merging the data sets or replacing the main river channel information with the bathymetry. This study presents a geographic information system (GIS)–based methodology to merge the bathymetry and topography of a river and validates it with 2D flood event simulations. Therefore, the floodplain topography data sets, including emerged fluvial features and profile-shaped bathymetric surveys covering only limited sections of the river channel, were combined to produce a single elevation model. The methodology is based on the extraction of the riverbanks on a digital elevation model (DEM) to locate the thalweg and two ancillary lines, which support an interpolation of cross-section data. The case study is the middle section of the Tagus River in Portugal, for which distinct data sets of bathymetry (namely, cross sections) and a DEM obtained by the advanced interferometric techniques were available. A segment of flooded/unflooded areas obtained from a SAR image of a previous flood event was used as a basis to compare the flooded area resulting from two hydrodynamic simulations. The disagreement in flooded area extension was reduced from 12% difference to 1% using the proposed combined DEM. Water levels, measured at a hydrometric station, were also used for assessment. A significant improvement was also found using the combined DEM: the maximum water level differences decreased from 218.7 to 24.4 cm.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia through projects RIVERSAR 350 (PTDC/CTE-GIX/099085/2008) and SEICHE (EXCL/GEO-FIQ/0411/2012). The used image was obtained through ESA Category 1, Project 9,441. The authors express gratitude to Teresa Alvares, Emília Van Zeller, and Victor Rodrigues of the Portuguese Environment Agency for providing all bathymetric and sand-extraction location data sets, and for their work in the 2012 cross-section surveying. The authors are indebted to the anonymous reviewers for their thorough reading of the article and for providing insightful comments.
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Published In
Journal of Surveying Engineering
Volume 142 • Issue 4 • November 2016
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 19, 2015
Accepted: Mar 2, 2016
Published online: May 4, 2016
Discussion open until: Oct 4, 2016
Published in print: Nov 1, 2016
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