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Establishment of digital 3D map based on discrete elevation point data measured in the field

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Abstract

This study established a survey zone digital elevation model (DEM) using highly precise and regularly updated three-dimensional coordinates of the surface of barchan dunes using CASS9.0 software. Two contour plots were drawn, one for the entire survey zone drawn with a contour interval of 0.005 m and one for an individual sand dune drawn with a contour interval of 0.001 m. ArcMap10 was used to define the projection of the created contour lines in DWG format and export the data into shape files to enable the creation of a triangulated irregular network (TIN). Next, TIN data was converted into raster data to facilitate our analysis and data processing. We created the final TIN by using an additional smoothing processing on the desired area that had been clipped out. We added the TIN data to the ArcScene module to establish the final 3D numerical model of barchan dunes. This model extracts and analyzes the changes in the characteristic parameters of the barchan dune as its topography changes in real time so researchers can visualize dune migration and evolution. Their understanding is enhanced by comparing and superposing the various 3D dune models on different days.

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Acknowledgements

The author wants to express his appreciation for Rui Wang and Meng-Chen Chen, who was admitted to the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2014. Both have participated in the surveying work of sand dune topography in the hinterlands of the Taklimakan Desert. This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41371025) and the National Science and Technology Support Program (2015BAC06B01-01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730 000, China

    Aimin Li, Zhiwen Han & Shuai Zhong

  2. College of Urban Construction, Heze University, Heze, 274 015, China

    Aimin Li

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A, Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100 049, China

    Aimin Li, Caiyun Guo & Shuai Zhong

  4. Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100 101, China

    Caiyun Guo

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  1. Aimin Li
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  2. Zhiwen Han
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Correspondence to Zhiwen Han.

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Corresponding editor: Navin Juyal

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Li, A., Han, Z., Guo, C. et al. Establishment of digital 3D map based on discrete elevation point data measured in the field. J Earth Syst Sci 128, 25 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-018-1046-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-018-1046-9

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