Glacier Mapping in the Juneau Icefields
The Juneau Icefield Program (JIRP), funded by NASA, NSF, USGS and National Geographic, has used ObliqueMapper in several experimental projects to determine its effectiveness in mapping remote glacier regions.
Mapping of the Vaughan Lewis Icefall
One project involved capturing stereo pairs along the Vaughan Lewis Icefall which leads into the Gilkey Trench. This icefall, though appearing to be still, actually cascades downward several metres per day. This shift was observed by making 3D measurements of identifiable features within repeat photographs of the falls (monthly & yearly).
Monitoring Snow Melt on the Taku Glacier
A second project tested ObliqueMapper's ability to monitor snow melt at a large scale (small area). A camera was set up on a tripod to observe an area expected to melt over the next few days. Various small targets were placed throughout the area and used to georeference the photographs. A rough 3D model of the snow extents were extracted from each photograph using ObliqueMapper and volume loss calculated using a GIS.
