Prepared Data Sets, Remote Field Teaching, and Software Manuals
At times it is not possible to take students into the field to collect their own data and learn field methods directly. There are still a variety of ways that you can help students gain many of the same skills. This page combines geodesy-related remote field teaching resources AND prepared data sets.
It also includes a few field sites that could be revisited for change detection (pre-existing survey sites) and links to the software tutorials and manuals.
If you have any data sets that would
Jump down to: Remote Field Teaching | Prepared Data Sets | Pre-existing Survey Sites | Software Tutorials
Remote Field Geodesy Teaching
When the COVID19 pandemic forced field courses to turn to remote teaching, GETSI collaborated with Sharon Bywater-Reyes (University of Northern Colorado) to support her development of a geodesy-oriented remote field course and collection of the necessary field data. Her course provides an example of how elements from the two GETSI Field modules can be combined into a comprehensive remote field course. The course and activities as taught at University of Northern Colorado have been submitted to the NAGT Teaching with Online Field Experiences collection and are linked below.
Course: Geoscience Field Issues Using High-Resolution Topography to Understand Earth Surface Processes
- Day 1 - Getting started with Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry
(Adapted from Unit 1-SfM: Introduction to SfM in GETSI module Analyzing High Resolution Topography with TLS and SfM) - Day 2 - Introduction to GPS/GNSS
- Unit 1: GPS/GNSS Fundamentals - from the GETSI module High Precision Positioning with Static and Kinematic GPS/GNSS.
- GPS/GNSS presentation (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 48.6MB Sep5 20)
- Unit 1 Accuracy & Precision exercise
- Post-processing GPS/GNSS Base Station Position
- Unit 1: GPS/GNSS Fundamentals - from the GETSI module High Precision Positioning with Static and Kinematic GPS/GNSS.
- Day 3 - SfM of Poudre River at Sheep Draw Reach
- Day 4 - Working with Point Clouds in CloudCompare and Classifying with CANUPO
- Day 5 - Report 1 - SfM Feasibility Report assignment (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 46kB Oct29 20)
- Day 6 - Optional Field Day (collected additional dataset with local students who could participate) - no associated assignment
- Day 7 - Introduction to Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS)
- Day 8 - Point Cloud/Raster Differencing and Change Detection
- Morning activity with course-collected SfM and TLS data - Point Cloud and Raster Change Detection
- Afternoon activity with regional LiDAR from Colorado 2013 floods - DEM of Difference
- Day 9 - OpenTopography Data Sources and Topographic Differencing
- Day 10 - Report 2 - Methods Comparison Report.docx (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 46kB Oct29 20)
- Day 11 - Presentations - students gave short presentations to the group based on their final report
Prepared Data Sets from Field Geodesy
The data sets below can be used to teach elements of the two field methods modules with collecting the data yourself.
- Analyzing High Resolution Topography with TLS and SfM
- High Precision Positioning with Static and Kinematic GPS
Reasons why you might use these prepared resources:
- You cannot go out in the field or cannot get access to the needed field equipment
- You have a hardware failure in the field but still want to do a related exercise
- You want examples from other locations or ideas for how similar exercises have been done elsewhere
- You want students to have experience with other field applications that are not readily available in your area
High-resolution topography - Structure from Motion (SfM) and Lidar
- El-Mayor Cucapah Earthquake Fault Scarp, Baja, California
- El Mayor Cucapah fault scarp - simple photo set (SfM) (Zip Archive 66.6MB Nov14 16) - Photoset (SfM)
- Corresponding Unit: Analyzing High Resolution Topography with TLS and SfM: Unit 1
- Milligan Canyon, Three Forks, Montana
- Milligan Canyon sequence stratigraphy data (SfM) (Zip Archive 1433.2MB Nov2 16) - Outcrop for stratigraphic analysis (SfM)
- - Outcrop for stratigraphic analysis (SfM)
- Corresponding Unit: Analyzing High Resolution Topography with TLS and SfM: Unit 2
- Dixon Canyon, Fort Collins, Colorado
- Dixon Canyon sequence stratigraphy data (SfM) (Zip Archive 221.5MB Oct16 20) - Outcrop for stratigraphic analysis (SfM)
- Corresponding Unit: Analyzing High Resolution Topography with TLS and SfM: Unit 2
- Eldorado Canyon, Colorado
- Eldorado Canyon outcrop for road cut - SfM photos and metadata (Zip Archive 84.2MB Oct20 20) - Photoset (SfM)
- - Point cloud from SfM
- - Discontinuity patches from point cloud
- Corresponding Unit: Analyzing High Resolution Topography with TLS and SfM: Unit 2.1
- Landers Fault Scarp, Landers, California
- Landers fault scarp data (SfM) (Zip Archive 1238.3MB Oct20 16) - Photoset (SfM)
- Corresponding Unit: Analyzing High Resolution Topography with TLS and SfM: Unit 3
- White Sands National Monument, New Mexico
- Aeolian dunes change detection (airborne lidar) (Zip Archive 18.1MB Oct20 16) - Airborne Lidar Point Clouds (2009 & 2010)
- Corresponding Unit: Analyzing High Resolution Topography with TLS and SfM: Unit 4
- Muskegon Beach, Michigan
- Anthropogenic and geomorphic change detection at a beach (airborne & TLS) (Zip Archive 19.9MB Nov1 20) - Airborne Lidar Point Cloud (2008) and TLS point cloud (2015)
- Corresponding Unit: Analyzing High Resolution Topography with TLS and SfM: Unit 4
- Cache la Poudre River at Sheep Draw Open Space, Greeley, Colorado
- - Photoset (SfM)
- - Terrestrial Lidar Point Clouds (2020)
- Corresponding Unit: Geoscience Field Issues Using High-Resolution Topography to Understand Earth Surface Processes
- Block Mountain Geologic Mapping area near Glen, Montana
- Block Mountain Mapping area - TLS and SfM point clouds and DEMs (Zip Archive 1572.3MB Apr19 22)- July 2021
High precision positioning - GPS/GNSS
- Accuracy, precision, and Error Exercise
- Corresponding Unit: High Precision Positioning with Static and Kinematic GPS: Unit 1
- Salmon Falls Creek, Buhl, Idaho - Actively creeping landslide
- Creating Topographic Surfaces: Salmon Falls Map and Data (Zip Archive 57MB Oct16 20) - Lidar scans (2002 & 2010) and GPS locations compiled in ArcMap document
- Corresponding Unit: High Precision Positioning with Static and Kinematic GPS: Unit 2.2
- Mt. Borah, Lost River Fault, Chilly, Idaho - Active fault
- Mt. Borah, Lost River Fault: Leveling line data set (Zip Archive 8.7MB Oct16 20) - Leveling line data sets (1933, 1983, 1984, 1985, 2017)
- Corresponding Unit: High Precision Positioning with Static and Kinematic GPS: Unit 2.2
Pre-existing GPS/GNSS Survey Sites
- Salmon Falls Creek, Buhl, Idaho - Actively creeping landslide
- Creating Topographic Surfaces: Salmon Falls Map and Data (Zip Archive 57MB Oct16 20) - Lidar scans (2002 & 2010) and GPS locations compiled in ArcMap document
- Mt. Borah, Lost River Fault, Chilly, Idaho - Active fault
- Mt. Borah, Lost River Fault: Leveling line data set (Zip Archive 8.7MB Oct16 20) - Leveling line data sets (1933, 1983, 1984, 1985, 2017)
- Resurvey existing benchmarks to see if change has occurred - National Geodetic Survey Data Explorer is a map interface for finding existing benchmarks known to NGS. For example, the Lost River Fault leveling line listed above was found using this interface.
Software Tutorials for Processing Field Geodesy Data
Structure from Motion (SfM)
- Agisoft Metashape - Creates point clouds from sets of overlapping photographs (Windows and Mac)
- Quick start guides - A short introductory guide is typically the best way for someone first using MetaShape
- MetaShape Quick Guide (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 2.6MB Nov12 21) - This 4-page guide gets students started on a small SfM project in a local reference frame. It is from Getting started with Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry) but can be modified for other types of initial exercises.
- MetaShape Guide for River Characteristics activity (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 5.3MB Nov12 21) - This slightly longer quick guide was written specifically for Structure from Motion for Analysis of River Characteristics but is also a good entry point and can be modified for other types of exercises.
- Agisoft MetaShape intro tutorial video - SfM - Agisoft tutorial (MP4 Video 21.8MB Mar8 17)
- SfM Data Processing and Exploration Manual (Agisoft Metashape software) (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 14.4MB Nov16 19)
- This more in-depth guide is better once one has some experience with the software
- Processing Coastal Imagery With Agisoft Metashape Professional Edition, Version 1.6—Structure From Motion Workflow Documentation, USGS Open-File Report 2021-1039 - this paper offers a very useful workflow for people working on natural surfaces (such as many Earth and environmental scientists)
- Agisoft also provides many resources
- MetaShape Tutorials
- MetaShape User Manuals (even longer than guides above)
- Quick start guides - A short introductory guide is typically the best way for someone first using MetaShape
Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS)
- RiSCAN PRO - Processing TLS scans from RIEGL laser scanners (Windows)
- Data exploration and processing manual - TLS Data Processing and Exploration Manual (RiScan Pro software) (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 5.1MB Sep22 16)
- SCENE - Processing LiDAR scans from FARO-brand laser scanners into 3D point clouds (Windows)
- SCENE tutorial video - TLS - SCENE software tutorial (MP4 Video 24.1MB Mar8 17)
Point Cloud Processing
- CloudCompare - Compare and analyze point clouds or triangular meshes (Windows and Mac)
- Tutorial on CloudCompare basics, point cloud classification with CANUPO, point cloud differencing, and topographic profile extraction - CloudCompare General Tutorial (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 14.8MB May11 21)
- CloudCompare on macOS LAS file conversion guide - CloudCompare on macOS LAS conversion (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 215kB May11 21)
- CloudCompare on macOS has known issues loading newer LAS file (version 1.4). This guide provides instruction on how to convert LAS files from version 1.4 to version 1.2 so they can be loaded in CloudCompare on macOS.
- Split-FX- Engineering software extracts discontinuity data from point clouds (Windows). See Analyzing High Resolution Topography - Unit 2.1: Geodetic survey of an outcrop for road cut design for additional information on use and licensing.
- Quick start guide - Unit 2.1 SplitFX Quick Guide (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 1.9MB Nov16 19)
- SplitFX tutorial video - Engineering analysis - SplitFX software tutorial (MP4 Video 44.7MB May10 17)
- DipAnalyst - Performs a kinematic analysis of rock slopes based on known discontinuities (Windows). See High Resolution Topography - Unit 2.1: Geodetic survey of an outcrop for road cut design for additional information on use and licensing.
- Quick start guide - Unit 2.1 DipAnalyst Quick Guide (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 921kB Nov16 19)
- Detailed manual - DipAnalyst User Guide (Acrobat (PDF) 951kB May10 17)