Delivering Fast 3D Interactive Visualization of Natural/Man-Made Hazards Using Processed Lidar and Photogrammetric Data

Sojan Mathew and Reuben Reyes
Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, University Station, Box X, Austin, TX 78713

Availability of highly accurate and spatially and spectrally dense data source have provided myriad of opportunities for advancing our understanding of how the earth surface forms evolved over time, as well as for predicting its future evolution in the event of large magnitude storms (such as hurricanes) or human-made disasters (such as the oil spill) along the Texas Gulf Coast. Fast emergency response in the event of earthquakes, hurricanes, wild fires, oil spills and other natural/man-made disasters is vital to saving lives and property. Using aerial LIDAR and photogrammetric techniques to understand hazard details is a very useful tool for fast coverage of large areas and for mobilizing limited mitigation resources. Delivering this type of processed information in a fast useful way to federal/state/local emergency decision makers and responders can be complex. In this talk we will present a series of tools developed as part of this investigation to visualize and analyze as well as to quantify dynamic coastal environments using imagefusion techniques and its integration with freely available visualization software. These tools could be effectively used for addressing shoreline erosion, beach-dune-sediment budget, status and trends of aquatic habitats, and restoration of beaches, dunes, and wetlands along the Texas Gulf Coast. Applications of these tools will be demonstrated using lidar and photogrammetric data of the Texas Gulf Coast.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90158©2012 GCAGS and GC-SEPM 6nd Annual Convention, Austin, Texas, 21-24 October 2012