SGER: US/China Digital Government Collaboration: A New Tool for Economic and Environmental Planning - Expanding the Boundaries of LiDAR

背景：这笔小额赠款将支持与中国研究人员就激光雷达（光探测和测距）及其在洪水灾害中的应用进行初步合作。LiDAR是美国联邦应急管理局（FEMA）批准的用于构建数字地形模型（DTM）和数字高程模型（DEM）的主动传感器。DTM和DEM以及适当的GIS数据是构建数字洪水保险费率图的关键来源。FEMA指定的LiDAR产品主要用于陆地洪泛区测绘应用。在这个项目中，合作工作的重点是多光谱数据聚合和3D可视化。来自新奥尔良和中国合肥的数据将被整合。该研究的目标是回答以下问题：能否生成3D模型并回答相关的战略规划问题;即，给定一个洪水阶段，是否可以可视化被淹没的区域，是否可以确定可能的破坏位置，是否可以确定建筑物覆盖区周围的水位？中美团队计划开展两项任务来解决这些问题。首先，将开发一种方法来渲染摄影测量和处理过的图像？表面？从LiDAR数据重建的3D模型。第二个任务将是开发一个综合的可视化工具。智力优点：融合传感器数据从这样的巨大不同的方式使用信号水平的方法是具有挑战性的。与中国合作伙伴的合作研究将产生一种新产品，为灾害规划和响应团队提供一种强大而直接的工具，以估计或评估环境和经济影响。最后，LiDAR数据本身将成为拥有它的社区的更有价值的工具。这个多学科的研究团队包括三名计算机科学家和一名环境工程师。广泛的影响：该研究在三个方面对学术和公共政策做出了重要贡献：1.研究结果将展示使用现有数据量化当前和过去洪泛区状态的方法。预计这将有助于负责环境评估和补救的州和联邦机构。中国和美国之间的研究联系将得到加强。3.所有司法管辖区都有可能更准确地评估税务责任。

Background:This small grant will support an initial collaboration with a Chinese reseaercher on the topic of LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) and its use in flood disasters. LiDAR is an active sensor approved by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for construction of digital terrain models (DTMs) and digital elevation models (DEMs). DTMs and DEMs, together with appropriate GIS data, are key sources for the construction of digital flood insurance rate maps. FEMA-specified LiDAR products are primarily designed for terrestrial floodplain mapping applications. In this project, the collaborative work focuses on multispectral data aggregation and 3D visualization. Data from New Orleans and from Hefei China will be integrated. The goal of the research is to answer the following question: Can 3D models be generated and related strategic planning questions answered; i.e., given a flood stage, can the flooded area be visualized, can possible breaching locations be identified, and can elevations of water around building footprints be determined? The China/US team plan two tasks to address these questions. First, a method will be developed to render photogrammetric and processed images over the ?surface? of the reconstructed 3D model from LiDAR data. The second task will be to develop an integrated visualization tool.Intellectual Merit: Fusing sensory data from such vastly different modalities using signal-levelmethods is challenging. The collaborative research with the Chinese partner will result in a new product that provides a powerful and straightforward tool for disaster planning and response teams to estimate or evaluate environmental and economic impacts. Finally, LiDAR data itself will become a much more valuable tool for the communities that possess it. This multi-disciplinary research team includes three computer scientists and an environmental engineer.Broad Impacts: The research contributes to scholarship and public policy in three significant ways:1. the results will demonstrate methods which are available for quantifying present and past floodplain states using extant data. It is expected that this will be useful to state and federal agencies responsible for environmental assessment and remediation.2. research ties between China and the US will be strengthened. 3.there is the possibility of more accurate assessment of tax liabilities by all jurisdictions.