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

最近的技术突破为地球表面的高分辨率三维可视化和绘图提供了前所未有的新机会。 该项目旨在利用这项技术开发新的三维地质填图野外技术。 开发这些技术具有潜在的变革性，因为基于固定比例纸地图的传统技术受到现代技术解决的低分辨率问题的严重阻碍。 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决岩体的三维几何形状，这种新的能力将在整个地球科学领域开辟新的研究途径。 基础科学应用将最终提高对地下地质体的理解，这种增强的理解将对采掘业（采矿和石油工业）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，研究中开发的地质结构3D可视化将成为更广泛的地球科学界的重要新教育资源，包括德克萨斯大学埃尔帕索分校（一级西班牙裔服务机构），并将为这些西班牙裔学生提供尖端技术。地球科学正处于3D可视化带来的革命之中。 运动恢复结构/多视图立体（SM）模型的发展为地球表面的三维可视化提供了前所未有的新机遇。 特别是，有新的机会来了解地质体的几何形状，通过三维映射在几年前无法达到的精度。基岩地质填图尚未广泛使用这项新技术。 该项目是一个尝试，以促进传统的基于现场的，地图规模的研究，完全三维映射方法的转变。高精度3D地质模型及其最终衍生产品-全4D分析-只有在我们能够常规制作高分辨率3D地图时才有可能。 该项目旨在通过以下方式为实现这一目标做出贡献：1）在两种设置中使用有人驾驶飞机在地图比例尺上开发SM模型构造（沙漠，北极），这种技术应该是变革性的; 2）使用不同的软件包进行实时3D绘图实验，基于在沙漠环境中获得的区域和局部SM模型以及使用无人驾驶天线系统的实验（又名无人机）作为3D野外测绘期间的野外工具;以及3）开发从GIS到Strabospot数据库的桥梁，利用我们在开源程序QGIS中的专业知识，旨在提供一个简化的应用程序，将传统的纸质地图数据纳入Strabospot，针对拥有大部分存档的高级研究人员。 这些工具将加强地球科学领域研究人员的工作，并防止研究人员退休时遗留数据的丢失。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.