Slope Estimation from ICESat/GLAS

Craig Mahoney; Natascha Klhun; Sietse Los; Laura Chasmer; Jorg Hacker; Christopher Hopkinson; Peter North; Jacquiline Rosette; Eva van Gorsel

doi:10.3390/rs61010051

Slope Estimation from ICESat/GLAS

Craig Mahoney, Natascha Klhun, Sietse Los, Laura Chasmer, Jorg Hacker, Christopher Hopkinson, Peter North, Jacquiline Rosette, Eva van Gorsel

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Abstract

We present a novel technique to infer ground slope angle from waveform LiDAR, known as the independent slope method (ISM). The technique is applied to large footprint waveforms (~60 m mean diameter) from the Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) to produce a slope dataset of near-global coverage at 0.5° × 0.5° resolution. ISM slope estimates are compared against high resolution airborne LiDAR slope measurements for nine sites across three continents. ISM slope estimates compare better with the aircraft data (R² = 0.87 and RMSE = 5.16°) than the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Digital Elevation Model (SRTM DEM) inferred slopes (R² = 0.71 and RMSE = 8.69°). ISM slope estimates are concurrent with GLAS waveforms and can be used to correct biophysical parameters, such as tree height and biomass. They can also be fused with other DEMs, such as SRTM, to improve slope estimates.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	10051-10069
Number of pages	19
Journal	Remote Sensing
Volume	6
Issue number	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/rs61010051
Publication status	Published - 2014

Keywords

Biophysical parameter retrieval
LiDAR
Slope
SRTM
Terrain
Waveform

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Mahoney_Slope_P2014Final published version, 3.18 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Slope Estimation from ICESat/GLAS",

abstract = "We present a novel technique to infer ground slope angle from waveform LiDAR, known as the independent slope method (ISM). The technique is applied to large footprint waveforms (~60 m mean diameter) from the Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) to produce a slope dataset of near-global coverage at 0.5° × 0.5° resolution. ISM slope estimates are compared against high resolution airborne LiDAR slope measurements for nine sites across three continents. ISM slope estimates compare better with the aircraft data (R2 = 0.87 and RMSE = 5.16°) than the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Digital Elevation Model (SRTM DEM) inferred slopes (R2 = 0.71 and RMSE = 8.69°). ISM slope estimates are concurrent with GLAS waveforms and can be used to correct biophysical parameters, such as tree height and biomass. They can also be fused with other DEMs, such as SRTM, to improve slope estimates.",

keywords = "Biophysical parameter retrieval, LiDAR, Slope, SRTM, Terrain, Waveform",

author = "Craig Mahoney and Natascha Klhun and Sietse Los and Laura Chasmer and Jorg Hacker and Christopher Hopkinson and Peter North and Jacquiline Rosette and {van Gorsel}, Eva",

year = "2014",

doi = "10.3390/rs61010051",

language = "English",

volume = "6",

pages = "10051--10069",

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T1 - Slope Estimation from ICESat/GLAS

AU - Mahoney, Craig

AU - Klhun, Natascha

AU - Los, Sietse

AU - Chasmer, Laura

AU - Hacker, Jorg

AU - Hopkinson, Christopher

AU - North, Peter

AU - Rosette, Jacquiline

AU - van Gorsel, Eva

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - We present a novel technique to infer ground slope angle from waveform LiDAR, known as the independent slope method (ISM). The technique is applied to large footprint waveforms (~60 m mean diameter) from the Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) to produce a slope dataset of near-global coverage at 0.5° × 0.5° resolution. ISM slope estimates are compared against high resolution airborne LiDAR slope measurements for nine sites across three continents. ISM slope estimates compare better with the aircraft data (R2 = 0.87 and RMSE = 5.16°) than the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Digital Elevation Model (SRTM DEM) inferred slopes (R2 = 0.71 and RMSE = 8.69°). ISM slope estimates are concurrent with GLAS waveforms and can be used to correct biophysical parameters, such as tree height and biomass. They can also be fused with other DEMs, such as SRTM, to improve slope estimates.

AB - We present a novel technique to infer ground slope angle from waveform LiDAR, known as the independent slope method (ISM). The technique is applied to large footprint waveforms (~60 m mean diameter) from the Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) to produce a slope dataset of near-global coverage at 0.5° × 0.5° resolution. ISM slope estimates are compared against high resolution airborne LiDAR slope measurements for nine sites across three continents. ISM slope estimates compare better with the aircraft data (R2 = 0.87 and RMSE = 5.16°) than the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Digital Elevation Model (SRTM DEM) inferred slopes (R2 = 0.71 and RMSE = 8.69°). ISM slope estimates are concurrent with GLAS waveforms and can be used to correct biophysical parameters, such as tree height and biomass. They can also be fused with other DEMs, such as SRTM, to improve slope estimates.

KW - Biophysical parameter retrieval

KW - LiDAR

KW - Slope

KW - SRTM

KW - Terrain

KW - Waveform

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U2 - 10.3390/rs61010051

DO - 10.3390/rs61010051

M3 - Article

SN - 2072-4292

VL - 6

SP - 10051

EP - 10069

JO - Remote Sensing

JF - Remote Sensing

IS - 10

ER -

Slope Estimation from ICESat/GLAS

Abstract

Keywords

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