Remote Assessment of Army Tactical River Crossing Sites Using LIDAR Imagery
Abstract
Tactical river crossings present impediments to Army units on the move because they require specialized procedures and equipment as well as more detailed planning and control than normal operations. A crossing site's suitability is highly dependant on riverbank geography. Commanders with accurate riverbank data can increase the speed of crossing operations, both by quickly and accurately determining appropriate sites and by minimizing the amount and type of equipment carried forward to effect the crossings. A previous study examined how conventional terrain analysis would be used to determine suitable crossing sites. In that study, there was a 16% acceptable site selection rate for remotely determined crossing sites. The most common problem, which was not detectable using conventional techniques, was that bank slope was too steep for vehicles to traverse. This study looks at using a Light Distance and Ranging (LIDAR) digital elevation model (DEM) to improve acceptable site selection rate. LIDAR data were collected at the sites identified in the previous study and inspected to see if the DEM would provide the information and resolution necessary to improve crossing site identification. The DEM was compared to selected onsite surveys and visual information collected previously to identify discrepancies. The LIDAR DEM analysis looked at 18 potential sites and resulted in an 88% acceptable site selection rate.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA417126
Entities
People
- Barry A. Coutermarsh
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center