Inversion of tidal flat topography based on unmanned aerial vehicle low-altitude remote sensing and field surveys

doi:10.6046/zrzyyg.2020336

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Abstract

Tidal flat topography is closely related to the structure and function of the ecosystem in intertidal wetlands. Therefore, it is significant for the analyses of tidal flat dynamics and the monitoring of the diffusion process of saltmarsh vegetation to obtain high-precision topography data. However, owing to limited ebb time, muddy tidal flats, and saltmarsh vegetation, traditional geographic observation techniques suffer the shortcomings such as low accuracy and efficiency, high cost, and limited coverage. In this study, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) low-altitude remote sensing was employed to obtain aerial images and their band information. Then the 3D and spectral information with precise coordinates were extracted based on the structure obtained using motion technology. They were used to construct a high-precision digital surface model (DSM) of the study area. The DSM of bare flats can be directly used as the digital elevation model (DEM) of the tidal flat. In the areas with saltmarsh vegetation, the information of red, green, and blue bands was used to calculate the visible-band vegetation index (VDVI), which was combined with field surveys to build an inversion model for vegetation height. Finally, vegetation was filtered out from the DSM using the height inversion model to obtain accurate DEM. In this way, the elevation of the vegetation zone in the tidal flat can be reflected. As indicated by the results of this study, the method that combines UAV low-altitude remote sensing with field surveys can realize precise inversion of tidal flat topography. The root mean square error (RMSE) of the topography in bare flat obtained using the method was 0.07 m and the accuracy was close to the terrestrial laser scanner (TLS). For areas with saltmarsh vegetation, the RMSE was reduced to 0.14 m and the geographical accuracy can be improved by 60% after the vegetation was filtered out. Therefore, the method is superior to traditional point cloud filtering. Overall, this study provided an inversion method of tidal flat topography based on UAV remote sensing and field surveys, which can effectively monitor large-scale natural tidal flat systems. The method can be applied to other similar natural tidal flat systems or coastal areas, providing important technological support for the protection and management of coastal tidal flat wetlands.

Keywords tidal flat topography UAV vegetation filtering VDVI

ZTFLH:

TP79

Corresponding Authors: YUAN Lin E-mail: bigliyang123@126.com;lyuan@sklec.ecnu.edu.cn

Issue Date: 24 September 2021

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	Yang LI
	Lin YUAN
	Zhiyuan ZHAO
	Jinlei ZHANG
	Xianye WANG
	Liquan ZHANG

Cite this article:

Yang LI,Lin YUAN,Zhiyuan ZHAO, et al. Inversion of tidal flat topography based on unmanned aerial vehicle low-altitude remote sensing and field surveys[J]. Remote Sensing for Natural Resources, 2021, 33(3): 80-88.

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https://www.gtzyyg.com/EN/10.6046/zrzyyg.2020336 OR https://www.gtzyyg.com/EN/Y2021/V33/I3/80

Fig.1 Location of Chongming Dongtan

Fig.2 Location of study area

Fig.3 UAV oblique photography picture in study area

Fig.4 UAV orthophoto picture of saltmarsh plants

Fig.5 UAV orthophoto picture of bare flat

Fig.6 Location of sampling points distribution

Fig.7 Flow chart of tidal flat topographic reconstruction

Fig.8 VDVI inversion model of plant height

Fig.9 VDVI distribution of saltmarsh in study area

Fig.10 Saltmarsh height distribution in study area

Fig.11 Tidal flat topography after filtering vegetation

Fig.12 Comparison between elevation of UAV and RTK before and after vegetation filtering

Tab.1 Terrain error of inversion before and after vegetation filtering in different habitats(m)

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