Global Digital Elevation Model Accuracy Assessment in the Himalaya, Nepal

133 Pages·2014·5.86 MB·English

by  Luke G. Miles

Western Kentucky University
TopSCHOLAR®
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects Graduate School
12-1-2013
Global Digital Elevation Model Accuracy
Assessment in the Himalaya, Nepal
Luke G. Miles
Western Kentucky University, [email protected]
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Miles, Luke G., "Global Digital Elevation Model Accuracy Assessment in the Himalaya, Nepal" (2013).Masters Theses & Specialist
Projects.Paper 1313.
http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1313
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GLOBAL DIGITAL ELEVATION MODEL ACCURACY ASSESSMENT IN THE
HIMALAYA, NEPAL

A Thesis
Presented to
The Faculty of the Department of Geography and Geology
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, Kentucky

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Science

By
Luke G. Miles

December 2013

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Over the past two-and-a-half years, there have been many people that have
supported me during graduate school. First and foremost, I wanted to thank my thesis
committee chair, Dr. John All. His willingness to work with me at the end of my
undergraduate degree convinced me to stay at Western Kentucky University and
complete a Master’s on a topic I love. I would also like to thank the other members of my
thesis committee, Dr. Greg Goodrich and Dr. Jun Yan, for supporting me and providing
insight and perspective on my thesis. It has been an absolute honor working alongside
these three distinguished professors and I am thankful for their encouragement
throughout these last few years. I would also like to thank Dr. Katie Algeo and Kevin
Cary for always being willing to sit down and talk, even if it was not thesis-related. A
special thank you is owed to Wendy Decroix for being a consistent source of knowledge
on even the most silly of questions. A very special thanks is owed to the Department of
Geography and Geology and the Bioinformatics and Information Science Center for
providing me the opportunity and funding to continue my academic career.
I would like to thank my family and friends for their unwavering support
throughout the last several years; to my mom and dad, Greg and Kathi, and my two
sisters, Natalie and Abigail, thanks for being there through the best and worst of times
and always being a constant source of encouragement and love. To Caitlin Pope, Steven
Charny, and Daniel Price, I could not be more thankful for having all of you in my life.
Thanks for always listening and being understanding when I was working on school stuff.
Finally, I would like to give special kudos to Daniel Price's laptop; without it, the last
few months of thesis writing would not have been possible.
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CONTENTS

Chapter 1
Introduction ..............................................................................................................1

Chapter 2
Background ..............................................................................................................5
2.1 Remote Sensing .................................................................................................6
2.2 Study Areas ......................................................................................................13
2.2.1 The Himalaya ....................................................................................13
2.2.2 Nepal .................................................................................................16
2.2.3 Annapurna Conservation Area ..........................................................18
2.2.4 Chitwan National Park ......................................................................19
2.2.5 Langtang National Park ....................................................................20
2.2.6 Sagarmatha National Park .................................................................21
2.2.7 Makalu Barun National Park ............................................................22
2.2.8 Manaslu Conservation Area ..............................................................23

Chapter 3
Data and Methodology ...........................................................................................25
3.1 Data ..................................................................................................................25
3.2 Methods............................................................................................................26
3.2.1 Slope Classification ..........................................................................27
3.2.2 Aspect Classification .........................................................................28
3.2.3 Elevation Classification ....................................................................30
3.2.4 Frequency Distribution .....................................................................30

Chapter 4
Results and Discussion .........................................................................................32
4.1 Overall Usability ..............................................................................................32
4.2 Individual Park Analyses .................................................................................36
4.2.1 Spatial Analysis .................................................................................45
4.2.2 3D Visualization ................................................................................55

Chapter 5
Conclusions and Future Research ..........................................................................60

Appendix A: ASTER 10-Class Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution .......................66
Appendix B: SRTM Full-Class Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution .......................72
Appendix C: ASTER Full-Class Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution .....................78
Appendix D: SRTM Spatial Analysis Maps ......................................................................84
Appendix E: ASTER Spatial Analysis Maps .....................................................................99

Bibliography .................................................................................................................... 112

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Influence of elevation, slope and aspect on human settlements in Sagarmatha
National Park .......................................................................................................................4
Figure 2. The SRTM Digital Elevation Model for the Country of Nepal ............................8

Figure 3. SRTM Configuration ............................................................................................9

Figure 4. ASTER Stereoscopic Techniques .......................................................................10

Figure 5. Inset of Himalaya Mountain Range ....................................................................14

Figure 6. The Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification for the Country of Nepal ...............17

Figure 7. Annapurna Conservation Area DEM with Ground Control Points ....................19
Figure 8. Chitwan National Park DEM with Ground Control Points ................................20
Figure 9. Langtang National Park DEM with Ground Control Points ..............................21
Figure 10. Sagarmatha National Park DEM with Ground Control Points .........................22
Figure 11. Makalu Barun National Park DEM with Ground Control Points .....................23
Figure 12. Manaslu Conservation Area DEM with Ground Control Points ......................24
Figure 13. Aspect 0°-line Correction Method ....................................................................29
Figure 14. Annapurna SRTM Elevation Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution .........37
Figure 15. Annapurna SRTM Slope Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution ...............37
Figure 16. Annapurna SRTM Aspect Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution ..............38
Figure 17. Chitwan SRTM Elevation Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution .............38
Figure 18. Chitwan SRTM Slope Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution ...................39
Figure 19. Langtang SRTM Elevation Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution ............39
Figure 20. Langtang SRTM Slope Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution ..................40
Figure 21. Langtang SRTM Aspect Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution ................40
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Figure 22. Makalu Barun SRTM Elevation Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution ....41
Figure 23. Makalu Barun SRTM Slope Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution ..........41
Figure 24. Makalu Barun SRTM Aspect Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution ........42
Figure 25. Manaslu SRTM Elevation Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution .............42
Figure 26. Manaslu SRTM Slope Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution ...................43
Figure 27. Manaslu SRTM Aspect Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution .................43
Figure 28. Sagarmatha SRTM Elevation Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution ........44
Figure 29. Sagarmatha SRTM Slope Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution ..............44
Figure 30. Sagarmatha SRTM Aspect Cumulative Error Frequency Distribution ............45
Figure 31. SRTM Elevation in Langtang National Park ....................................................47
Figure 32. SRTM Elevation in Makalu Barun National Park ............................................48
Figure 33. ASTER Slope in Sagarmatha National Park ....................................................50
Figure 34. ASTER Slope in Langtang National Park ........................................................51
Figure 35. ASTER Aspect in Annapurna Conservation Area ............................................53
Figure 36. ASTER Aspect in Makalu Barun National Park...............................................54
Figure 37. 3D Scene of SRTM Elevation GCPs in Annapurna Conservation Area ..........56
Figure 38. 3D Scene of SRTM Elevation GCPs in Langtang National Park .....................57
Figure 39. 3D Scene of SRTM Slope GCPs in Makalu Barun National Park ...................58
Figure 40. 3D Scene of SRTM Aspect GCPs in Sagarmatha National Park .....................59
Figure 41. Ridge Top with Low Topographic Variation ....................................................61
Figure 42. Broad Valley with Medium Topographic Variation ..........................................62
Figure 43. Hill Slope with High Topographic Variation ....................................................62

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. ASTER and SRTM Comparison .......................................................................... 11
Table 2. Nepal Ground Control Points ...............................................................................26

Table 3. SRTM and ASTER Elevation Usable Point Percentages .....................................33

Table 4. SRTM and ASTER Slope Usable Point Percentages ...........................................34

Table 5. SRTM and ASTER Aspect Usable Point Percentages .........................................35

Table 6. SRTM and ASTER Total Usable Points for Elevation, Slope, and Aspect ..........35

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GLOBAL DIGITAL ELEVATION MODEL ACCURACY ASSESSMENT IN THE
HIMALAYA, NEPAL

Luke Miles December 2013 122 pages

Directed by: Dr. John All, Dr. Greg Goodrich, and Dr. Jun Yan

Department of Geography and Geology Western Kentucky University

Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are digital representations of surface
topography or terrain. Collection of DEM data can be done directly through surveying
and taking ground control point (GCP) data in the field or indirectly with remote sensing
using a variety of techniques. The accuracies of DEM data can be problematic, especially
in rugged terrain or when differing data acquisition techniques are combined. For the
present study, ground data were taken in various protected areas in the mountainous
regions of Nepal. Elevation, slope, and aspect were measured at nearly 2000 locations.
These ground data were imported into a Geographic Information System (GIS) and
compared to DEMs created by NASA researchers using two data sources: the Shuttle
Radar Topography Mission (STRM) and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and
Reflection Radiometer (ASTER). Slope and aspect were generated within a GIS and
compared to the GCP ground reference data to evaluate the accuracy of the satellite-
derived DEMs, and to determine the utility of elevation and derived slope and aspect for
research such as vegetation analysis and erosion management. The SRTM and ASTER
DEMs each have benefits and drawbacks for various uses in environmental research, but
generally the SRTM system was superior. Future research should focus on refining these
methods to increase error discrimination.

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