Abstract
While high-resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) datasets have been captured through space-borne imagery to map badland landscapes at fine scales, these remain essentially top-down views of the surface and cannot adequately capture the micro-morphological features (soil pipes, hollows, earth pillars and rills) which form along the gully flanks and walls. For imaging these, thus, a ground-based, horizontal looking sensor is required, with further post-processing abilities of identifying individual aspects, stitching the images together using common points, generation of sparse and dense point clouds and final creation of meshes with overlain textures to generate viable three-dimensional representations of such surface forms. This paper uses ground-based close-range digital photography along with the structure-from-motion technique to generate high-resolution DEMs and three-dimension (3D) representations of gullies and badland landscapes, which cannot otherwise be captured even by very high-resolution imagery or available satellite-imaged elevation datasets, since these systems lack the required view angle. The structure-from-motion technique has been a recent advancement in this domain, and its mechanism and workflow are explained in detail in this paper. Examples of its implementation in gully mapping are then showcased from the Gangani badland tract in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal. Repeated photographic surveys reveal the nature of morphological changes in the micro gully features, documenting erosional activity at fine scales. The imaging and rendering of these micro features also allow information like the relative lithological hardness to be superimposed on them for a better comparative analysis.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bandhopadhyay S. 1987. Man-initiated Gullying and Slope Formation in a Laterite Terrain at Santiniketan, West Bengal, Geographical Review of India, 49(4): 21–26.
Bandhopadhyay S. 1988. Drainage evolution in a badland terrain at Gangani in Medinipur District, West Bengal, Geographical Review of India, 50(3): 10–20.
Bennett SJ, Wells RR. 2019. Gully erosion processes, disciplinary fragmentation, and technological innovation. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 44: 46–53.
Carrivick JL, Smith MW, Quincey DJ. 2016. Structure from motion in the geosciences. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester.
Carrivick JL, Smith MW. 2019. Fluvial and aquatic applications of structure from motion photogrammetry and unmanned aerial vehicle/drone technology. WIREs Water 6: e1328. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1328.
Castillo C, Gómez JA. 2016. A century of gully erosion research: urgency, complexity and study approaches. Earth Science Reviews 160: 300–319.
Castillo C, Marín-Moreno VJ, Pérez R, Muñoz-Salinas, Taguas EV. 2018. Accurate automated assessments of gully cross-section geometry using the photographic interface FreeXSapp. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 43: 1726–1736.
Christian P, Davis J. 2016. Hillslope gully photogeomorphology using structure-from-motion. Zeitschriftfür Geomorphologie Supplementary Issues 60: 59–78.
Das S, Patel PP, Sengupta S. 2016. Evaluation of different digital elevation models for analyzing drainage morphometric parameters in a mountainous terrain: a case study of the Supin - Upper Tons Basin, Indian Himalayas. SpringerPlus, 5: (1544).
Frankl A, Stal C, Abraha A, Nyssen J, Rieke-Zapp D, De Wulf A, Poesen J., 2015. Detailed recording of gully morphology in 3D through image-based modelling. Catena 127: 92–101.
Ghosh S, Bhattacharya K 2012. Multivariate Erosion Risk Assessment of Lateritic Badlands of Birbhum (West Bengal, India): A Case Study, Journal of Earth Systems Science, 121(6): 1441–1454.
Glendell M, McShane G, Farrow L, James MR, Quinton J, Anderson K, Evans M, Benaud P, Rawlins B, Morgan D, Jones L, Kirkham M, DeBell L, Quine TA, Lark M, Rickson J, Brazier RE. 2017. Testing the utility of structure-from-motion photogrammetry reconstructions using small unmanned aerial vehicles and ground photography to estimate the extent of upland soil erosion. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 42: 1860–1871.
Gómez-Gutiérrez A, Schnabel S, Berenguer-Sempere F, Lavado-Contador F, Rubio-Delgado J. 2014. Using 3D photo-reconstruction methods to estimate gully headcut erosion. Catena 120: 91–101.
Goodwin NR, Armston JD, Muir J, Stiller I. 2017. Monitoring gully change: a comparison of airborne and terrestrial laser scanning using a case study from Aratula, Queensland. Geomorphology 282: 195–208.
James MJ, Robson S. 2012. Straightforward reconstruction of 3D surfaces and topography with a camera: accuracy and geoscience application. Journal of Geophysical Research- Earth Surface 117: F03017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JF002289.
James MJ, Robson S. 2014. Mitigating systematic error in topographic models derived from UAV and ground-based image networks. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 39: 1413–1420.
Jha VC, Kapat S. 2009. Rill and Gully Erosion Risk of Lateritic Terrain in South-western Birbhum District, West Bengal, India, Sociedade & Natureza, 21(2): 141–158.
Koci J, Jarihani B, Leon JX, Sidle RC, Wilkinson SN, Bartley R. 2017. Assessment of UAV and ground-based structure from motion with multi-view stereo photogrammetry in a gullied savanna catchment. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 6: 328. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi6110328.
Lane SN. 2000. The measurement of river channel morphology using digital photogrammetry. The Photogrammetric Record 16: 937–961.
Lannoeye W, Stal C, Guyassa E, Zenebe A, Nyssen J, Frankl A. 2016. The use of Sfm-photogrammetry to quantify and understand gully degradation at the temporal scale of rainfall events: an example from the Ethiopian drylands. Physical Geography 37: 430–451.
Liu K, Ding H, Tang G, Na J, Huang X, Xue Z, Yang X, Li F. 2016. Detection of catchment-scale gully-affected areas using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) on the Chinese loess plateau. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 5: 238. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi5120238.
Lucieer A, De Jong SM, Turner D. 2014. Mapping landslide displacements using Structure from Motion (SfM) and image correlation of multi-temporal UAV photography. Progress in Physical Geography 38: 97–116.
Marzolff I, Poesen J. 2009. The potential of 3D gully monitoring with GIS using high-resolution aerial photography and digital photogrammetry system. Geomorphology 111: 48–60.
Micheletti N, Chandler JH, Lane SN. 2015. Investigating the geomorphological potential of freely available and accessible structure-from-motion photogrammetry using a smartphone. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 40: 473–486.
Notebaert B, Verstraeten G, Govers G, Poesen J. 2009. Qualitative and quantitative applications of LiDAR imagery in fluvial geomorphology. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 34: 217–231.
Patel PP, Sarkar A. 2009. Application of SRTM data in evaluating the morphometric attributes: a case study of the Dulung River Basin. Practicing Geographer, 13(2): 249–265.
Patel PP. 2013. GIS techniques for landscape analysis - case study of the Chel River Basin, West Bengal. Proceedings of State Level Seminar on Geographical Methods in the Appraisal of Landscape, held at Dept. of Geography, Dum Dum Motijheel Mahavidyalaya, Kolkata, on 20th March, 2012, 1–14.
Patel PP, Mondal S. 2019. Terrain - land use relations in Garbeta-I Block, Paschim Medinipur District, West Bengal. In: Mukherjee, S (ed) Importance and Utilities of GIS. Burdwan: Avenel Press, 82–101.
Patel PP, Sarkar A. 2010. Terrain characterization using SRTM data. Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing, 38(1): 11–24.
Perroy RL, Bookhagen B, Asner GP, Chadwick OA. 2010. Comparison of gully erosion estimates using air-borne and ground based LiDAR on Santa Cruz Island, California. Geomorphology 118: 288–300.
Poesen J, Nachtergaele J, Verstraeten G, Valentin C. 2003. Gully erosion and environmental change: importance and research needs. Catena 50: 91–133.
Shit PK, Bhunia, GS, Maiti, RK. 2013. Assessment of factors affecting ephemeral gully development in badland topography: a case study at Garbheta badland (Pashchim Medinipur, West Bengal, India). International Journal of Geosciences 4: 461–470.
Shit PK, Maiti RK. 2012. Mechanism of gully-head retreat- a study at Ganganir Danga, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal. Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management, 5(4): 332–342.
Shit PK, Paira R, Bhunia GS, Maiti RK. 2015. Modeling of potential gully erosion hazard using geo-spatial technology at Garbheta block, West Bengal in India. Modeling Earth Systems and Environment 1: (2).
Shruthi RBV, Kerle N, Jetten V, Abdellah L, Machmach I. 2015. Quantifying temporal changes in gully erosion areas with object oriented analysis. Catena 128: 262–277.
Smith MJ, Carrivick JL, Quincey DJ. 2016. Structure from motion photogrammetry in physical geography. Progress in Physical Geography 40: 247–275.
Stöcker C, Eltner A, Karrasch P. 2015. Measuring gullies by synergetic applications of UAV and close range photogrammetry: a case study from Andalusia, Spain. Catena 132: 1–11.
Wells RR, Momm HG, Bennett SJ, Gesch KR, Dabney SM, Cruse R, Wilson GV. 2016. A measurement method for rill and ephemeral gully erosion assessments. Soil Science Society of America Journal 80: 203–214.
Westoby MJ, Brasington J, Glasser NF, Hambrey MJ, Reynolds JM. 2012. ‘Structure-from-Motion’ photogrammetry: a low-cost, effective tool for geoscience applications. Geomorphology 179: 300–314.
Acknowledgements
This study has been funded by a University Grants Commission Start-Up Grant under its Faculty Research Promotion Scheme for early career researchers (Letter No. F.30-78/2014(BSR) dated 22nd January 2015) and by the FRPDF allotment by Presidency University to Priyank Pravin Patel.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
12.1 Supplementary Information Files
A number of Supplementary Information Files are provided with this paper. These files, of scaled-down and pre-oriented/referenced versions of the three types of features imaged and generated via the SfM method, are of an interactive origin and can be zoomed in and rotated to interactively explore the three-dimensional, textured manner in which these landform artefacts have been rendered. The provided files are of the 3D PDF type and viewing such content must be enabled on initially opening each file, along with subsequent clicks for the object’s display. The Supplementary Information Files’ captions are as follows:
File SI1
Rendered 3D model of rill on the upper surface (pre-modification) (PDF 9742 kb)
File SI2
Rendered 3D model of rill on the upper surface (post-modification) (PDF 10876 kb)
File SI3
Rendered 3D model of cave-like forms, hollows, soil erosion pipes and earth pillars (PDF 17810 kb)
File SI4
Rendered 3D model of overhang slope and basal toe erosion from monsoonal flows (PDF 10136 kb)
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Patel, P.P., Dasgupta, R., Mondal, S. (2020). Using Ground-Based Photogrammetry for Fine-Scale Gully Morphology Studies: Some Examples. In: Shit, P., Pourghasemi, H., Bhunia, G. (eds) Gully Erosion Studies from India and Surrounding Regions. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23243-6_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23243-6_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-23242-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-23243-6
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)