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Cloud services for global elevation data and seamless geomorphometric analysis

Dr.Tom Hengl
OpenGeoHub Foundation, The Netherlands

February 1st , 2023
7:00 MST (UTC -7), 9:00 EST (UTC -5), 11:00 BRT (UTC - 3), 14:00 GMT (UTC +0), 15:00 CET (UTC +1), 16:00 EET (UTC +2), 22:00 CST (UTC +8)

Recording available in our YouTube channel

Bio: Tom Hengl has more than 20 years of experience as an environmental modeller, predictive soil mapper, data scientist and spatial analyst. He has collaborated on projects with numerous international organizations including The Nature Conservancy, Woods Hole Research Centre, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNCCD, Africa Soil Information Service, PBL and numerous other organizations. His extensive experience in spatial prediction and statistically-based modelling has led him to become a widely recognized expert in the areas of Machine Learning and Big Geodata for environmental modelling.

Abstract: In recent years, a number of global public topography datasets at high spatial resolutions (30m) have been released, including GLO-30 and ALOS AW3D. These can be combined with MERITDEM and ICESat-2 + GEDI point-based ground surface elevation data and global canopy height estimates to produce an ensemble estimate of the terrain/land surface height. Our results for Continental Europe show that machine learning can be used to remove canopy and buildings, although some post-processing is still needed to create hydrologically correct DTMs. The produced ensemble model is shared as Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFFs to allow for unrestricted access simply via QGIS or similar. Google Earth, Microsoft Planetary computer, OpenEO.cloud further provide “free” computing capacity allowing for the testing of algorithms and methods. These types of data infrastructures will revolutionize Geomorphometry and lead to more accurate, more usable and easier to access flood / landslide risks maps and similar.

The International Society for Geomorphometry and the Organizing Committee, are pleased to announce the seventh Geomorphometry Conference to be held in Iasi, Romania, July 10-14 2023. The event is hosted by the Department of Geography, Faculty of Geography and Geology (www.geo.uaic.ro), Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi (www.uaic.ro).

300 words abstracts and 4-page extended abstracts are expected to be submitted through the Easy Chair system by 15th January 2023 (link for submission)

Contributions to the conference will be evaluated by the scientific committee, and authors will be notified of acceptance/rejection of their abstract by 28th February 2023; extended abstracts (maximum 4 pages) will be collected into a volume of proceedings that will be available online before the conference and printed at the conference. The following template should be used for the extended abstracts: template.

Important links:

Conference website: https://www.geo.uaic.ro/geomorphometry2023/

Abstract template: https://www.geo.uaic.ro/geomorphometry2023/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/geomorphometry_2023_template.doc

EasyChair submission: https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=geomorphometry2023

Calendar

• EasyChair system opens for submissions: 10th November 2022
• Extended 4-page abstracts due to EasyChair: 15th January 2023
• Workshop proposals due: 15th February 2023
• Notification of acceptance and required revisions: 28th February 2023
• Registration opens: 1st March 2023
• Final camera-ready digital manuscripts due: 30th April 2023
• Early registration deadline: 1st May 2023
• Conference: 10th-14th July 2023

Hydrography90m: pushing the boundaries of computational hydrology

Guiseppe Amatulli
Yale University, USA

February 5th , 2025
7:00 MDT (UTC -7), 9:00 EST (UTC -5), 11:00 BRT (UTC -3), 14:00 GMT (UTC +0), 15:00 CET (UTC +1), 16:00 EET (UTC +2), 22:00 CST (UTC +8)

Recording available in our YouTube channel

Bio: Dr. Amatulli is a passionate forester and spatial modeler by training (M.Sc. & Ph.D. in GeoScience and Forestry) and computer scientist by trade. His research activity is mainly dedicated to spatial modeling, GIS and remote sensing with special emphasis in species distribution model, areal distribution and potential shift under climate change condition, wildland fire occurrence and pattern recognition, and wildfire risk assessment based on human and bio-physical parameters. Ultimately, his dealing with geomorphology and stream networks analysis to derive high accuracy flow estimation. He is daily dealing with high resolution data in the context of complex and modern modeling techniques using stand-alone implementation process under Linux environment. He supports the use of open source for ecological modeling giving dedicated courses using (and maintaining) the www.spatial-ecology.net web page.

Abstract: Streams and rivers drive several processes in hydrology, geomorphology, geography and ecology. A global standardized hydrographic network that accurately delineates streams and rivers, along with their topographic and topological properties, is needed for worldwide environmental applications. Using the MERIT Hydro Digital Elevation Model at 90m and by employing a suite of GRASS GIS hydrological modules, we calculated the range-wide upstream flow accumulation and flow direction to delineate a total of 1.6 million drainage basins and extracted globally a total of 726 million unique stream segments with their corresponding sub-catchments. Besides, stream topographic variables comprising stream slope, gradient, length, and curvature attributes as well as stream topological variables to allow for network routing and various stream order classifications were computed. The validation shows that the newly developed Hydrography90m has the highest spatial precision and contains more headwater stream channels compared to three other global hydrographic datasets. More information at https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4525-2022.

WhiteBox for Geomorphometry

Prof. John Lindsay
The University of Guelph, Canada

December 7th , 2022
7:00 MDT (UTC -6), 9:00 EDT (UTC -4), 10:00 BRT (UTC - 3), 14:00 BST (UTC +1), 15:00 CEST (UTC +2), 16:00 EEST (UTC +3), 21:00 CST (UTC +8)

Recording available in our YouTube channel

Bio: John Lindsay is a geomorphometry and geomatics researcher who explores the applications of topographic data to spatial hydrology, geomorphology, and environmental modelling. He is particularly interested in LiDAR digital elevation models (DEM) and their use in modelling surface drainage patterns, and in multi-scale land- surface characterization. Prof. Lindsay’s research often involves the development and testing novel techniques for DEM analysis. John believes that the role of the academic researcher is to provide solutions to problems encountered by practitioner. Therefore, open-source geographical information system (GIS) software development has long been a component of his research program, serving as the means by which he disseminates advances in the field. Over the past 20 years, Prof. Lindsay has developed several open-source GIS, including the Terrain Analysis System (TAS), Whitebox Geospatial Analysis Tools (Whitebox GAT), and WhiteboxTools.

Abstract: In this talk, Prof. John Lindsay explores the use of WhiteboxTools for geomorphometric applications. WhiteboxTools is an open-source geospatial analysis platform that serves as an analytical back-end for GIS and remote sensing software, including QGIS and ArcGIS. With nearly 250 tools for LiDAR data processing, geomorphometric analysis, spatial hydrology, and stream network analysis, WhiteboxTools is well suited for use by geomorphometry practitioners. John will describe the history of the Whitebox project and explore some of the functionality of this platform for LiDAR data processing, DEM pre-processing, and multi-scale topographic analysis.

How fab is FABDEM?

Dr.Laurence Hawker
University of Bristol, United Kingdom

October 5th , 2022
7:00 MDT (UTC -6), 9:00 EDT (UTC -4), 10:00 BRT (UTC - 3), 14:00 BST (UTC +1), 15:00 CEST (UTC +2), 16:00 EEST (UTC +3), 21:00 CST (UTC +8)

Recording available in our YouTube channel

Bio: Laurence Hawker is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol specialising in global flood models and Digital Elevation Model data. He develops flood simulations and advances global datasets to support them to understand current and future flood risk. Currently, Laurence works on the EvoFlood project which aims to assess the relative importance of hydro-climatology, evolving channel and floodplain morphology and population dynamics in causing changing flood hazard and risk.

Abstract: In this session, Laurence will introduce FABDEM (a new 30m global ‘DTM’), provide updates on the latest product developments and show a few examples of using FABDEM in flood applications. We are keen to create a dialogue on user feedback and experiences with FABDEM, be it the good, bad or the ugly, so we can discuss how ‘fab’ FABDEM really is.