Ecosynth: 3D Ecological
Mapping Using Computer Vision
 |
The
Ecosynth
process generates 3D
scans of vegetation from sets of digital
photographs acquired at low altitude from
light-weight aerial platforms or the ground (Dandois
and Ellis 2010).
As illustrated at right, computer vision
algorithms generate 3D "point clouds" by building geometry from
matching features identified in multiple overlapping photographs.
3D point clouds are then georeferenced and used to make
ecological measurements.
The project began in Spring 2009 with support from the USFS and
the UMBC CUERE IGERT.
The main Ecosynth page is
here.
Ecosynth Blog
- Overall project progres as well as weekly updates from the whole
team on progress with aircraft, cameras, and ecology.
Subscribe to the Ecosynth Blog by Email
|
|
The first Ecosynth publication in the open-source journal Remote
Sensing:
Dandois, J. P. and E. C. Ellis. 2010. Remote sensing of
vegetation structure using computer vision.
Remote Sensing
2(4):1157-1176. [download]
Funders & Support
Forestry research is supported by USDA Forest Service joint venture
agreement 06-JV-11242300-135.
Undergraduate student research supported by an NSF REU from the Baltimore Ecosystem Study DEB-0423476.
Graduate student research and some equipment supported by NSF IGERT 054969, hosted by UMBC CUERE.
Contact Erle Ellis
for more information.