Geology topics

Donna M. Galuszka

Publications and source records attributed to Donna M. Galuszka.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

USGS2003

High-resolution topomapping of candidate MER landing sites with Mars Orbiter Camera narrow-angle images

We analyzed narrow‐angle Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC‐NA) images to produce high‐resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) in order to provide topographic and slope information needed to assess the safety of candidate landing sites for the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) and to assess the accuracy of our results by a variety of tests. The mapping techniques developed also support geoscientific studies and can be used with all present and planned Mars‐orbiting scanner cameras. Photogrammetric analysis of MOC stereopairs yields DEMs with 3‐pixel (typically 10 m) horizontal resolution, vertical precision consistent with ∼0.22 pixel matching errors (typically a few meters), and slope errors of 1–3°. These DEMs are controlled to the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) global data set and consistent with it at the limits of resolution. Photoclinometry yields DEMs with single‐pixel (typically ∼3 m) horizontal resolution and submeter vertical precision. Where the surface albedo is uniform, the dominant error is 10–20% relative uncertainty in the amplitude of topography and slopes after “calibrating” photoclinometry against a stereo DEM to account for the influence of atmospheric haze. We mapped portions of seven candidate MER sites and the Mars Pathfinder site. Safety of the final four sites (Elysium, Gusev, Isidis, and Meridiani) was assessed by mission engineers by simulating landings on our DEMs of “hazard units” mapped in the sites, with results weighted by the probability of landing on those units; summary slope statistics show that most hazard units are smooth, with only small areas of etched terrain in Gusev crater posing a slope hazard.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗

USGS2002

Evaluation of airborne image data and LIDAR main stem data for monitoring physical resources within the Colorado River ecosystem

This study evaluated near-infrared LIDAR data acquired over the main-stem channel at four long-term monitoring sites within the Colorado River ecosystem (CRE) to determine the ability of these data to provide reliable indications in changes in water elevation over time. Our results indicate that there is a good correlation between the LIDAR water-surface elevations and ground measurements of water-edge elevation, but there are also inherent errors in the LIDAR data. The elevation errors amount to about 50 cm and therefore temporal changes in water-surface elevation that exceed this value by the majority of data at a particular location can be deemed significant or real. This study also evaluated airborne image data for producing photogrammetric elevation data and for automated mapping of sand bars and debris flows within the CRE. The photogrammetric analyses show that spatial resolutions of ≤ 10 cm are required to produce vertical accuracies < 20 cm and that digitally acquired data cannot yet support this monitoring requirement. The mapping analyses indicate that CIR image data are far superior to true-color and panchromatic image data in mapping sand bars and debris flows. The analyses also show that the CIR color information provide almost as much mapping capability as do the combination of CIR color and CIR image texture. Therefore, CIR image data should always be given preference in image data collections, not only for the physical resource program, but also for the biologic resource program.

Arizona↗

USGS2001

Validation of the USGS sensor model for topographic mapping of Venus using Magellan radar stereoimagery

The Magellan spacecraft went into Venus orbit in 1990 and by 1992 had made three complete cycles of polar orbits, each cycle covering the full range of longitudes. During this time the spacecraft obtained synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of >96% of the planet at a resolution of 75 m/pixel. Images taken with a decreased look angle from vertical, primarily during Cycle 3, provide stereo coverage of 17% of the planet when combined with images with same-side illumination from earlier in the mission. The stereo geometry of these images is extremely favorable, allowing elevation measurements with an estimated vertical precision (EP) of ~10 m. Magellan also obtained radar altimetry data at a horizontal resolution of 10x25 km, but photogrammetric analysis of the stereoimagery can yield topographic maps with a horizontal resolution more than an order of magnitude superior to that of the altimeter.

Conference Paper↗