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Assessing the quality of DSM from ALOS optical and radar data for automatic drainage extraction

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Abstract

The hydrological network analysis was based for many years on topographic maps or on aerial photos. The evolution of GIS software and the existence of plenty of satellite sensors collecting data with high spatial resolution made possible the creation of quite accurate Digital Surface Models (DSM) and the automatic drainage extraction. In this study the suitability and the accuracy of drainage network derived from ALOS optical and radar data are validated with reference to the respective information from the topographic maps of 1/50.000. DSM from ALOS PALSAR and ALOS PRISM are created, evaluated for both vertical and horizontal accuracy and used for automatic drainage extraction. A fifth order basin of Alfios River in Western Peloponese, Greece was selected for the validation. Hydrological parameters such as the stream length, the drainage frequency and the drainage density were used for the evaluation of seven DSMs. It was proved that the DSMs of the ALOS optical data are more suitable for hydrological analysis and that the vertical high accuracy of the DSM doesn’t guarantee its suitability for automatic drainage extraction.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge KTIMATOLOGIO S.A. for kindly providing the reference DEM for the study area. ALOS/PALSAR SAR acquisitions were provided by ESA under the PI project 6554.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, University of Patras, Patras, Greece

    Konstantinos G. Nikolakopoulos

  2. School of Rural and Surveying Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Christos Choussiafis & Vassileia Karathanassi

Authors
  1. Konstantinos G. Nikolakopoulos
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  2. Christos Choussiafis
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  3. Vassileia Karathanassi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Konstantinos G. Nikolakopoulos.

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Communicated by: N. Patel

Published in the Special Issue of Remote Sensing and Geology “Surveying the GEOsphere” with Guest Editors Dr. Konstantinos Nikolakopoulus, Cornelia Glaesser and Dr. Nilanchal Patel

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Nikolakopoulos, K.G., Choussiafis, C. & Karathanassi, V. Assessing the quality of DSM from ALOS optical and radar data for automatic drainage extraction. Earth Sci Inform 8, 293–307 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12145-014-0199-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12145-014-0199-6

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