This inter-disciplinary technical session will bring together researchers working on geospatial data acquisition and processing and those analysing digital models (DEMs) of the Earth's land surface, seafloor, and planetary terrains. The session reaches from innovation in measurement technologies, computational trends and state-of-the-art processing, to point cloud and novel quantitative analysis of DEMs: Of particular interest are new geomorphic studies and fusions between topographic data and other measurements. Best practices will be exchanged in order to cross-fertilize between scientific fields, interpret results within a wide context, and identify new challenges and chances.

Airborne and terrestrial laser scanning (LiDAR) as well as (close range) photogrammetry are measurement technologies where the focus lies in extracting additional observations (radiometric calibration, full waveform analysis, etc.) and pushing towards higher accuracy and resolution over large areas (e.g. multi-epoch acquisition for permafrost studies). Mobile laser scanning, terrestrial (In)SAR or bathymetric LiDAR still need to be better understood with respect to their costs and benefits, and - even more important - observational characteristics with respect to geomorphology. New technologies, e.g. range cameras offering high frequency area coverage at poor spatial resolution and accuracy, or upcoming satellite laser altimeter missions, have to be assessed from a geomorphological perspective. These technological advances provide a platform for innovative solution and future models in geomorphology. Objective, robust and reproducible quantitative methods of analysis underpin our ability to bridge the gap between geomorphic form and its formational process. So, finally, the session will emphasize methodological developments that create exciting new observations and unlock the potential wealth of new insights into geomorphic processes recorded in DEMs. New quantitative analysis methods applied to DEMs of every scale, and derived from every measurement method, are welcomed.

In geomorphic processes we include both natural processes and those creating a human fingerprint in the landscape. Features identified or parameterised could include volcanoes, craters, gullies, fault scarps, drumlins, or those reflecting anthropogenic disturbances such as deforestation, new urban areas, or land-use change. Natural processes constrained could range from mass-wasting to volcano formation, and from flooding to sedimentary deposition.

We encourage early stage researchers to present their studies.


INVITED PRESENTATIONS

"Quantitative geology from digital outcrop data for the characterisation of hydrocarbon reservoirs." David Hodgetts, Manchester, UK.