Multiview Photogrammetry and Drones for Mapping Coastal Features

Chris Sherwood

U.S. Geological Survey
Woods Hole
UNH Affiliate Faculty

Friday, Mar. 31, 2017, 4:00pm
Chase 130
Abstract

Multiview photogrammetry, also known as structure from motion (SfM), is a powerful tool for reconstructing three-dimensional scenes from a collection of images. Advances in software make it possible for anyone with a camera to build amazingly accurate and detailed 3D models of anything that will hold still. With multiple cameras, four dimensional reconstructions are possible. The USGS has used images from airplanes and drones to construct maps of coastal regions. This talk will provide some background on the technique, details of data collection and photogrammetric analysis, evaluation of accuracy, examples from several applications, with emphasis on results from a recently nourished beach on Cape Cod.

Bio

Chris Sherwood is a research oceanographer at the USGS Coastal and Marine Science Center in Woods Hole, MA. He is also an affiliate at UNH and a guest investigator at WHOI. His research interests are measurements and modeling of sediment transport. He has a B.A. from Bowdoin, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in geological oceanography from Univ. of Washington. His Ph.D. work involved sediment transport on the continental shelf and his study sites have grown progressively shallower until they are now partially subaerial.