EAGER: Development of Techniques for 3D mapping at Macroscopic Scales

最近的技术突破为高分辨率、三维(3D)可视化和绘制地球表面图提供了前所未有的新机会。该项目旨在利用这一技术开发新的野外三维地质填图技术。开发这些技术具有潜在的变革性，因为用现代技术解决的低分辨率问题严重阻碍了基于固定比例尺纸质地图的传统技术。随着这些技术的发展，地球科学将具有前所未有的能力来解析岩石的3D几何图形，这种新的能力将开辟跨地球科学光谱的研究新途径。基础科学的应用最终将提高对地下地质体的理解，这种加深的理解将对采掘业(采矿和石油行业)以及环境应用(地下水建模、灾害和浅层地下建模)产生经济影响。最后，研究中开发的地质构造的3D可视化将成为包括德克萨斯大学埃尔帕索分校在内的更广泛的地球科学界的重要新教育资源，这是一家一级拉美裔服务机构，并将为这些拉美裔学生提供尖端技术途径。地球科学正处于3D可视化带来的革命之中。运动结构/多视点立体(SM)模型的发展为地球表面三维可视化提供了前所未有的新机遇。特别是，现在有了新的机会，可以通过3D制图来了解地质体的几何形状，其精度在几年前是无法达到的。基岩地质填图尚未广泛应用这项新技术。该项目是一项尝试，旨在促进传统的实地、地图尺度研究向完全3D制图方法的转变。高精度的3D地质模型及其最终衍生产品--完全的4D分析--只有在我们能够常规地制作高分辨率3D地图的情况下才可能实现。该项目旨在通过以下方式为这一目标作出贡献：1)在两个环境(沙漠、北极)使用载人飞机在地图尺度上构建SM模型，这项技术应该是变革性的；2)根据在沙漠环境中获得的区域和本地SM模型，使用不同的软件包进行实时3D测绘实验，以及在3D野外测绘过程中使用无人驾驶天线系统(又名无人机)作为现场工具的实验；以及3)开发从地理信息系统到StraBospot数据库的桥梁，利用我们在开源程序QGIS方面的专业知识，目标是提供一个简化的应用程序，将遗留纸质地图数据合并到StraBospot中，目标是针对持有大部分档案的高级研究人员。这些工具将加强整个地球科学领域的实地研究人员的工作，并防止随着研究人员退休而丢失遗留数据。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Recent technological breakthroughs afford unprecedented new opportunities for high-resolution, three-dimensional (3D) visualization and mapping of Earth’s surface. This project is aimed at exploiting this technology to develop new field techniques for 3D geologic mapping. Developing these techniques is potentially transformative because conventional techniques based on fixed-scale paper maps were severely handicapped by low resolution issues that are resolved with modern technology. As these techniques develop, geosciences will have unprecedented abilities to resolve 3D geometry of rock bodies and this new ability will open new avenues of research across a spectrum of the geosciences. Basic science applications will ultimately improve understanding of subsurface geologic bodies and this enhanced understanding will have economic impacts in extractive industries (mining and petroleum industries) as well as environmental applications (groundwater modeling, hazards, and shallow subsurface modeling). Finally, 3D visualizations of geologic structures developed in the study will be important new educational resources for the broader geoscience community including the University of Texas El Paso, a tier 1 Hispanic Serving Institution, and will provide cutting edge technology access to those Hispanic students.Geosciences are in the midst of a revolution brought on by 3D visualization. The development of Structure-from-Motion/Multiview Stereo (SM) models provide unprecedented new opportunities for 3D visualization of Earth’s surface. In particular, there are new opportunities to understand the geometry of geologic bodies by 3D mapping at accuracies unattainable a few years ago. Bedrock geologic mapping has yet to make extensive use of this new technology. This project is an attempt to facilitate the transformation of traditional field-based, map-scale studies to fully 3D mapping methods. High-precision 3D geologic models and their ultimate derivative product - a fully 4D analysis – is only possible when we can routinely produce high resolution 3D maps. This project aims to contribute to this goal by: 1) Developing SM model construction at map scale using a manned aircraft in two settings (desert, arctic) where this technology should be transformative; 2) Conducting live 3D mapping experiments with different software packages, based on regional and local SM models acquired in the desert setting as well as experiment with using unmanned aerials systems (aka drones) as a field tool during 3D field mapping; and 3) Developing a bridge from GIS to the Strabospot database, utilizing our expertise in the open source program QGIS with an objective of providing a streamlined application for incorporation of legacy paper map data into Strabospot aimed at senior researchers who hold most of this archive. These tools will enhance the work of field researchers across the geosciences, and prevent loss of legacy data as researchers retire.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.