Remote Sensing in Glacier National Park, Montana

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Remote Sensing in Glacier National Park,
Montana Michelle Manly
Photo by Michelle Manly
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Introduction

• Research History in the Park
• Remote Sensing What and Why
• What We Did
• What the Future Holds

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Landscapes of Glacier National Park
Photo by Michelle Manly
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Climate Change Research

• Treeline Studies
• Glacier and Snow Studies
• Ecosystem studies

Photo Courtesy of USGS
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Photo By Michelle Manly
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Repeat Photography
1998
1900
Grinnell Glacier
Photos Courtesy of USGS
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Our Purpose In GNP

• Glacier Monitoring
• Past rates
• Future rates
• Model Validation
• Improvement of Past Techniques
• Topographic Maps
• Faster Total Park Survey

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Glacier/Ecosystem Model
Courtesy of the USGS
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What is Remote Sensing?

• Studying or monitoring an area from a remote
  location
• Satellites
• Aerial Photography

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Why We Use Remote Sensing

• More Convenient
• Large Scale / Small Scale
• Large Area / Small time
• Multi Studies From One Image

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The process of remote sensing
ENERGY SOURCE
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The process of remote sensing
C
E
A
D
A
B
A. Radiation and the atmosphere
C. Energy recorded and converted by sensor
B. Interaction with target
D. Reception and processing
E. Interpretation and analysis
Text by the Canadian Centre for Remote Sensing
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What is an image?

• Represents a geographical area

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What is Rectification?

• Also known as
• Georectification
• Geometric Correction

Definition Provides an image or coverage with a
real coordinate system. Any point on a corrected
image can be located using an X, Y coordinate.
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Orthorectification

• Purpose for Orthorectification
• Information Needed
• Orthorectified Image

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Why Orthorectify?
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Why ORTHOrectify?

• There are geometric errors associated with
  satellite images and aerial photographs
• Errors are caused by
• Scale Variation
• Sensor Attitude/Orientation
• Internal Sensor Errors
• Orthorectification removes these errors

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Scale Variation

• Scale varies across the image

House width is constant (8m), width in
photographs varies, therefore scale varies
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Sensor Attitude/Orientation
Oblique

• Vertical

More Oblique
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Internal Sensor Errors

• Lens distortion and errors cause the light rays
  to deviate

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Information Required To Orthorectify

• Camera Information
• Raw Imagery
• Reference Source
• Elevation Data

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Raw Imagery From 1998
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Reference Source

• Ground Control
• Digital Orthophoto Quadrangle (DOQ)
• X, Y

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Elevation Data

• Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
• Z

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Planimetrically Correct
Orthorectification creates planimetrically
correct images, which display no relief
displacement
3D View
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Final Product Orthorectified Image
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Information Gained

• 1998 Glacier Measurements
• Baseline Information

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Future Work In GNP

• Continued Glacier Monitoring
• Tree line Studies
• Vegetation Studies

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Photo Courtesy of USGS
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Photo courtesy of USGS
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Photo By Michelle Manly
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Thank You
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Using the ImageryImage Correction

• Scale Variation
• Sensor Orientation
• Internal Sensor Errors