We present a novel level of detail selection method for real-time rendering, that works on hierarchies of discrete and continuous representations. We integrate smoothly represented, point rendered objects with discrete polygonal geometry and demonstrate our approach in a terrain flyover application. In this testing application the digital elevation model is augmented with forests in accordance ...

6 [1] The primary goal of the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation 7 Satellite (ICESat) mission is ice sheet elevation change 8 detection. Confirmation that ICESat is achieving its stated 9 scientific requirement of detecting spatially-averaged 10 changes as small as 1.5 cm/year requires continual 11 assessment of ICESat-derived elevations throughout the 12 mission. We use a GPS-derived digital elevat...

Routing is a common task when using digital maps, but most engines offer only travel routes for automobiles. However, a more interesting aspect in this topic arises when being a cyclist. For this target audience especially elevation information is relevant. Such data is available from different sources, but is not perfectly usable for cycling routing. Those digital elevation models may include ...

Three-dimensional (3-D) maps of the nearside and polar regions of the Moon can be obtained with an Earth-based radar interferometer. This paper describes the theoretical background, experimental setup, and processing techniques for a sequence of observations performed with the Goldstone Solar System Radar in 1997. These data provide radar imagery and digital elevation models of the polar areas ...

We use prior theory and experimental results to construct a quantitative relationship between soil moisture and the penetration depth of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) microwaves at L-, C-, and X-bands. This relationship is nonlinear and indicates that a change of 5% volumetric water content (VWC) can cause between 1 and 50 mm of change in C-band penetration depth depending on initial VWC. Beca...

Shoreline mapping and shoreline change detection are critical in many coastal zone applications. This paper presents results of the semi-automatic mapping of a coastal area of Lake Erie using 4-meter resolution multispectral (XS) and 1-meter resolution panchromatic (Pan) IKONOS Geo stereo images. An overview of the geometric processing of IKONOS imagery is presented. Then, the latest results of...

Geoscientists have become increasingly dependent on digital elevation models (DEMs) to delineate and measure landforms and landscapes. However, the DEM grid cell size available may not be the optimum resolution; this can mask subtle changes in measurements and lead to erroneous results. This paper presents a standardized statistical technique (i.e. statistical process control charts (SPCC)) for...

Openness is proposed as a visualization technique for the archaeological interpretation of digital terrain models derived from airborne laser scanning. In contrast to various shading techniques, openness is not subject to directional bias and relief features highlighted by openness do not contain any horizontal displacement. Additionally, it offers a clear distinction between relief features an...

Depressions in landscapes function as buffers for water and sediment. A landscape with depressions has less runoff, less erosion and more sedimentation than a landscape without depressions. Sinks in digital elevation models (DEMs) can be existing features that correctly represent depressions in actual landscapes or spurious features that result from errors in DEM creation. In many erosion, land...