Imaging and Analyzing Active Faults Using High Resolution Topography

An OpenTopography short course
California Geological Survey, Sacramento, California

May 2-3, 2016

Supported by: OpenTopography and the California Geological Survey

Organizers:
Christopher Crosby, UNAVCO, Boulder, CO
Ramón Arrowsmith, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Tim Dawson, California Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA

Instructors:
Christopher Crosby, UNAVCO
Ramón Arrowsmith, Arizona State University

Overview:

High resolution topographic data has become an important tool for earthquake scientists to make detailed observations and model surface evolution. Within the last decade, several efforts have been made to collect high resolution topographic (HRT) data for active faults (e.g. The B4 project, EarthScope, and numerous NCALM and USGS projects). These datasets are freely available online through OpenTopography, an NSF funded data distribution portal. The active faulting and broader community has taken great interest in these exciting datasets, using them to generate new and important insights into earthquake and earth surface processes. OpenTopography will host a short course in Sacremento, California on May 2-3, 2016. This 2-day course will highlight recent research results and provide beginner to intermediate training on airborne and terrestrial lidar, and Structure from Motion technology, point cloud and raster-based data processing, and active fault-oriented analysis. We will emphasize fault trace and geomorphic mapping, topographic differencing, integration with other geospatial data, and data visualization and analysis approaches.

Software we will use includes:

ArcGIS (with Spatial Analyst and 3D Analyst extensions)
Matlab
LAStools (http://rapidlasso.com/lastools/)--free version ok
Agisoft Photoscan (http://www.agisoft.com/)--free version ok
CloudCompare (http://cloudcompare.org/)--free
Text editor
Utility to compress/uncompress (.tar, .gz, .zip) files

We have put together a reading list that contains a number of relevant papers that you may find helpful to review prior to the course (highest priority is shown in italics).

DRAFT SCHEDULE (subject to change)

Monday, May 2nd 2016

Time	Topic	Instructor, Affiliation (Location)
8:30 am	Welcome, group introductions
9:00 am	Introductory lectures: Sharpening our view of earth processes with high resolution topography	Ramón Arrowsmith
10:00 am	Break
10:15 am	Introductory lectures, cont.: Introduction to lidar	Christopher Crosby
11:15 am	Introduction to point visualization and processing using LAStools: Tutorial guide Sample data: 2013 Sonoma Veg Map lidar LAZ file (OT job) 2003 NSAF lidar LAZ file (OT job) DeLong et al 2012, "Multitemporal ALSM change detection, sediment delivery, and process mapping at an active earthflow"	Crosby
12:15 pm	Lunch
1:00 pm	Point clouds and DEM generation using LAStools (continued from pre-lunch session)	Arrowsmith
2:45 pm	Break
3:00 pm	Raster-based HRT analysis in ArcGIS: Data visualization, mapping, simple topographic differencing, hydrologic analysis Tutorial guide: Basic visualization of lidar Digital Elevation Models using ArcGIS Extracting Information from DEMs in ArcMap Simple landscape morphometry and stream network delineation Dragons Back sample data (OT job results) Older resources: Video Tutorials Simple landscape morphometry and stream network delineation Standard DEMs, Dragon's Back sample data	Arrowsmith & Crosby
5:00 pm	End

Tuesday, May 3rd 2016

Time	Topic	Instructor, Affiliation (Location)
8:30 am	LaDicaoz: Lidar data handling and lateral displacement measurement LaDiCaoz data and Scripts for Short Course LaDiCaoz v2.1 Zielke and Arrowsmith 2012	Arrowsmith
9:30 am	Lecture: Topographic Change Detection, ICP using CloudCompare, registering multiple topographic datasets, and topographic change detection Topographic change detection exercise notes OT job results: EMC-pre event data OT job resutls: EMC-post event data Pre-event LAS file Post-event LAZ file Older supporting resources: Tutorial: ICP cloud registration and change detection with CloudCompare Nissen et al. code for windowed ICP change detection Dimitri Lague's tools for point cloud filtering (CANUPO) and change detection (M3C2)	Arrowsmith & Crosby
10:45 am	Break
11:00 am	Lecture: Structure from Motion (SfM)	Arrowsmith
12:00 pm	Lunch (collect SfM photos)
1:00 pm	Structure from Motion (SfM) processing demo EMC EQ SfM images UNAVCO Structure from Motion (SfM) tutorials and resources Breaking: Prompt 3D mapping of the earthquake-triggered lansdlide in Minami-Aso, Kumamoto, Japan Considerations for building SfM processing machines Black Canyon City SfM results	Arrowsmith & Crosby
2:00pm	Exploratory Small Projects: Individually or in groups, identify a small area of interest to perform a simple change detection or other geomorphic analysis. Use what you learned in yesterday afternoon and this morning's exercises, starting with an LAS file to explore and analyze the dataset of your choosing. A few example datasets for change detection are below, or use OpenTopography to find a dataset of interest and to download a point cloud file. By 4pm, make 3 (max) slides, that summarize: 1) Problem/question, 2) workflow/analysis, 3) result. Sample data & supporting info: White Sands dunes sample data Iwate-Miyagi 2008 EQ differential data (DEM as points) Other ideas: Parkfield, CA (B4 overlaps EarthScope); northern Bay Area; Wasatch front; Boulder, CO; southern Sonoma County, CA (earthflow); South Fork Eel River, CA (Mendocino/Humbolt Counties, CA); Valles Caldera National Preserve, NM; Salton Sea, CA; coastal central CA.	Crosby & Arrowsmith
4:00pm	Project Discussion	All
4:30pm	Final discussion, Q&A	All

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Imaging and Analyzing Active Faults Using High Resolution Topography