Structure from Motion (SfM) Data
DRAFT
SfM data data are obtained from a variety of platforms, including Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) that provide 3-D point measurements over scales of millimeters to kilometers. Much like lidar "point clouds" from TLS, SfM data are used to generate digital elevation models, and to quantify erosion and other active geologic processes such as landslide deformation, earthquake faulting, and glacial retreat.
The standard SfM data deliverable provided by GAGE to supported researchers is a georeferenced point cloud, digital surface model (DSM), and orthophoto dataset. The point cloud and DSM are the basis for additional processing and analysis such as surface modeling (e.g., the generation of digital elevation models) and change detection comparisons between repeat surveys. GAGE does not generate higher-level data products for PIs or students. In order to facilitate data processing and analysis by our community, GAGE maintains a software license server that enables community access to a variety of geospatial software packages.
Consistent with GAGE's Data Policy, all SfM data collected with GAGE instruments must be made accessible. These data products and other project materials are available at the GAGE TLS data archive.
SfM Data Products
| Product Level |
Description |
| 0 | Raw sensor data (typically in proprietary file format), for each of the instruments used in SfM data collection, e.g., GPS, camera |
| 1 | Sensor data in open format with metadata; Level 1 data typically represent a single image set |
| 2 | Merged, aligned point cloud (with or without georeferencing) in open format; Level 2 data typically represent all relevant image sets from a project including multiple image sets |
| 3 | Higher-level data products derived from the L2 data; includes classified and filtered point clouds, surface models (e.g., DEMs) and derivatives |
| 4 | Final results; includes models, technical interpretations, and publications |
Last modified: 2023-09-15 14:58:43 America/Denver