Search USGS⌕ Search

Geology topics

Bernd Giese

Publications and source records attributed to Bernd Giese.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

HRSC on Mars Express: Photogrammetric and cartographic research

The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on the European spacecraft Mars Express is the first camera on a planetary mission especially designed for photogrammetric and cartographic purposes. Since January 2004 the camera has been taking image data from the Martian surface, characterized by high-resolution, stereo capability and color. These data provide an enormous potential for the generation of 3D surface models, color orthoimages, topographic and thematic maps, and additional products. The image data acquired undergo calibration and systematic processing to orthoimages and 3D data products. Within the international HRSC Science Team the members of the Photogrammetric/Cartographic Working Group are concerned with further refinements in order to achieve highest quality data products. These activities comprise improvements of the exterior orientation of the camera, various approaches to enhance DTM quality, and the generation of maps in the standard scale of 1:200 000 and larger scales as well. The paper reports on these activities and the results achieved so far .

Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing↗

Comparison of USGS and DLR topographic models of Comet Borrelly and photometric applications

Stereo analysis of images obtained during the 2001 flyby of Comet Borrelly by NASA's Deep Space 1 (DS1) probe allows us to quantify the shape and photometric behavior of the nucleus. The shape is complex, with planar facets corresponding to the dark, mottled regions of the surface whereas the bright, smooth regions are convexly curved. The photometric as well as textural differences between these regions can be explained in terms of topography (roughness) at and below the image resolution, without invoking significant variations in single-particle properties; the material on Borrelly's surface could be quite uniform. A statistical comparison of the digital elevation models (DEMs) produced from the three highest-resolution images independently at the USGS and DLR shows that their difference standard deviation is 120 m, consistent with a matching error of 0.20 pixel (similar to reported matching accuracies for many other stereo datasets). The DEMs also show some systematic differences attributable to manual versus automatic matching. Disk-resolved photometric modeling of the nucleus using the DEM shows that bright, smooth terrains on Borrelly are similar in roughness (Hapke roughness θ =20°) to C-type asteroid Mathilde but slightly brighter and more backscattering (single-scattering albedo w =0.056, Henyey–Greenstein phase parameter g =−0.32). The dark, mottled terrain is photometrically consistent with the same particles but with roughnesses as large as 60°. Intrinsically darker material is inconsistent with the phase behavior of these regions. Many local radiance variations are clearly related to topography, and others are consistent with a topographic explanation; one need not invoke albedo variations greater than a few tens of percent to explain the appearance of Borrelly.

Icarus↗

USGS and DLR topographic mapping of Comet Borrelly

In the fall of 2001, NASA's Deep Space 1 (DS1) probe imaged Comet Borrelly during a flyby encounter. Three of the Borrelly images have geometry suitable to photogrammetrically map the nucleus, which form two stereopairs with an expected precision (EP) of ~410 m and ~670 m each. DS1 team members at the USGS and DLR have independently produced digital elevation models (DEMs) of Borrelly. Automatic stereo-matching algorithms were used by both USGS and DLR, but the USGS DEM was additionally manually edited in stereo. We accomplished a quantitative statistical comparison of the DEMs and found they have a standard deviation of 120 m, which is small compared to the EP above. There are systematic differences, we estimate the stereomatching error to only 0.20 pixel RMS, which is similar to the level of subpixel matching accuracy obtained in a wide variety of other mapping situations. The resulting DEMs enable a variety of applications such as perspective views, photometric modeling and studies of the energy balance of the nucleus. We hope to use the USGS DEM as a starting point to extrapolate the shape of the hidden side of the nucleus. This would not only let us determine the volume and moments of inertia of the nucleus, but would lead to a calculation of the insolation onto the nucleus averaged over an entire orbit, and thence to a model of the evolution of nuclear shape.

Conference Paper↗

Grooved Terrain on Ganymede: First Results from Galileo High-Resolution Imaging

High-resolution Galileo imaging has provided important insight into the origin and evolution of grooved terrain on Ganymede. The Uruk Sulcus target site was the first imaged at high resolution, and considerations of resolution, viewing geometry, low image compression, and complementary stereo imaging make this region extremely informative. Contrast variations in these low-incidence angle images are extreme and give the visual impression of topographic shading. However, photometric analysis shows that the scene must owe its character to albedo variations. A close correlation of albedo variations to topography is demonstrated by limited stereo coverage, allowing extrapolation of the observed brightness and topographic relationships to the rest of the imaged area. Distinct geological units are apparent across the region, and ridges and grooves are ubiquitous within these units. The stratigraphically lowest and most heavily cratered units ("lineated grooved terrain") generally show morphologies indicative of horst-and-graben-style normal faulting. The stratigraphically highest groove lanes ("parallel ridged terrain") exhibit ridges of roughly triangular cross section, suggesting that tilt-block-style normal faulting has shaped them. These extensional-tectonic models are supported by crosscutting relationships at the margins of groove lanes. Thus, a change in tectonic style with time is suggested in the Uruk Sulcus region, varying from horst and graben faulting for the oldest grooved terrain units to tilt block normal faulting for the latest units. The morphologies and geometries of some stratigraphically high units indicate that a strike-slip component of deformation has played an important role in shaping this region of grooved terrain. The most recent tectonic episode is interpreted as right-lateral transtension, with its tectonic pattern of two contemporaneous structural orientations superimposed on older units of grooved terrain. There is little direct evidence for cryovolcanic resurfacing in the Uruk Sulcus region; instead tectonism appears to be the dominant geological process that has shaped the terrain. A broad wavelength of deformation is indicated, corresponding to the Voyager-observed topography, and may be the result of ductile necking of the lithosphere, while a finer scale of deformation probably reflects faulting of the brittle near surface. The results here form a basis against which other Galileo grooved terrain observations can be compared.

Icarus↗

The Topography of Asteroid Ida: A Comparison between Photogrammetric and Shape­Form-Shading Image Analysis

We derived high resolution Digital Terrain Models from stereo images of the asteroid Ida that were obtained by the Galileo spacecraft during the flyby in August 1993 and compared these results with terrain models derived from two-dimensional photoclinometry. The comparison shows that there are striking discrepancies between the results from the two models depending on the spatial scale length of surface features. While photogrammetry resolves large- and medium-scale features, photoclinometry successfully resolves small-scale features. Ideally, both methods should be combined to optimize terrain modeling.

Conference Paper↗