2024 GSA Introduction to High Resolution Topography and OpenTopography

Location: 206A, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA

Instructors: Christopher Crosby, EarthScope Consortium & J Ramon Arrowsmith Arizona State University

Course Description:
Topographic data such as lidar and structure from motion photogrammetry have transformed geoscience research and education. OpenTopography is an initiative supported by the National Science Foundation that strives to streamline hosting, discovery, and processing of topographic data, with web-based tools for data visualization, custom product generation, and advanced analysis such as hydrologic routing and topographic differencing. Presently, lidar covering >94% of the lower 48 United States, as well as lower resolution global topographic data, are freely available through OpenTopography. This short course will provide an introduction to the various types of topographic data available to the Earth science community and hands-on examples of how to use OpenTopography tools to streamline access to these data. We will review available training resources, as well as educational curriculum. This short course is appropriate for students, faculty, researchers, and professional geoscientists seeking to learn more about topographic data and freely available resources to streamline their use of these data. We’ll focus on practical “tips and tricks” to using OpenTopography and high-resolution topographic data.

Participant Guidelines:
Our goal is to run this short course with only the OpenTopography web-based interface. Participants should bring a laptop capable of connecting to the GSA wifi network. Ideally the machine would have a webGL enabled browser (Chrome, Firefox).

Presentation slides: Introduction to High Resolution Topography & OpenTopography

Tentative Agenda:

9:00 am Welcome and course introduction. Around the room intros. (Crosby)
9:30 am Introduction to topography and scientific motivations (Arrowsmith)
10:00 am Short tour of the OT web site (Crosby)
10:30 am Break
10:45 am Review of basic digital topography concepts; how we measure topography (radar, lidar); Digital Elevation Models. Guided OT exercises. (Crosby)
12:00 Lunch break
1:00 pm Review of basic digital topography concepts continued; SfM short overview. Guided OT exercises. (Arrowsmith)
2:00 pm Intro to other (educational etc.) OT resources. (Crosby)
2:45 pm Introduction to independent projects & Break
4 pm Participant project presentations (5 slides: Research or educational question and why important; data set and processing; results; future work/questions)
4:45pm Final discussion
5 pm Short Course End

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Other Resources:

- OpenTopography Webinars - deeper dives on many of the topics covered during this short course
- CloudCompare - Open source point cloud software available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
- VIRTUAL OUTCROP MODELS OF GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURES - From the construction of photogrammetric 3D models to their application towards the analysis of geological structures

Publications:
- Measuring change at Earth’s surface: On-demand vertical and three-dimensional topographic differencing implemented in OpenTopography
- Distribution of Aseismic Deformation Along the Central San Andreas and Calaveras Faults From Differencing Repeat Airborne Lidar
- Statewide USGS 3DEP Lidar Topographic Differencing Applied to Indiana, USA