LE3 .A278 2011

2011

Hopkinson, Chris
Spooner, Ian

Acadia University

Master of Science

Masters

Applied Geomatics

Earth & Environmental Sciences

The work presented in this thesis supports ongoing studies on the development of a hydraulic model for the Mackenzie Delta and subsidence effects of proposed development of natural resource extraction and transport facilities in the area. Methods that delineate hydrological features, extract maximum bank heights and estimate static water levels from high resolution LIDAR data are presented within a macro-scale context in the Mackenzie Delta, NWT, Canada. First, open water features were identified with over 95% accuracy using a data driven hierarchical classification approach. The proposed classification scheme exploits the propensity of LIDAR point attributes and data metrics such as point density and standard deviation (of intensity and elevation) to cluster around characteristic response values over water and non-water surfaces. Second, close to 90% of banks were identified within 30 m of their expected location by using a slope-based technique that searches for linearly oriented features and adapts to local variations in the landscape. The local adaptation is achieved by using a directional weighting filter that mitigates the effect of noise in data and highlights steep, linear banks. The directional weighting filter also forms the basis of a weighted distance approach to connect fragmented banks. Maximum bank heights were extracted by implementing a directional search relative to the local orientation of delineated banks. Finally, water levels extracted from five independent LIDAR observations agreed within +/- 0.06 m to water levels observed by three in situ hydrometric stations. The water level extraction process also examined the effect of the specular reflective nature of water on recorded elevation. Although systematic offsets were observed, the absolute elevation offset never exceeded 0.10 m within sampled locations. The extracted hydrological information forms the basis for calculation of time-invariant parameters such as off-channel storage capacity and hydraulic gradients for further research.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:189