Workshop on Quantitative Geomorphology

Quantitative Geomorphology Workshop at IIT Gandhinagar in February 2020, organized by Prof. Vikrant Jain

The workshop consists of several lectures and lab exercises. On this github page, some of the exercises pertinent to Digital Elevation Model (DEM) analysis, Landscape Evolution Model (LEM) Exercises, and PointCloud (PC) analysis are included. Additional reference material is included as well. Please see QGeomorph_Workshop_Required_Software.pdf

Monday, 17.02.2020

• Introduction to Digital Elevation Model analysis
• Introduction to Tectonic Geomorphology
• Exercises with Python using synthetic and real-world DEMs:
  • Creating a Gaussian Hill and performing analytical and numerical slope calculations (Python, Jupyter-Notebook, PDF)
  • Performing FlowDirection and FlowAccumulation calculation on a Gaussian Hill (Python, Jupyter-Notebook, PDF)
  • Hypsometry and Slope Distributions of Earth and Mars (Jupyter Notebook, PDF)

Tuesday, 18.02.2020

• Introduction to Landscape Evolution Modeling (LEM) using landlab
• Some simple modeling exercises:
  • Fault-scarp modeling using linear diffusion Python
  • Uplift of a block for plateau and escarpment modeling (diffusion only: Python and fluvial erosion: Python)
  • Setting up a growing anticline with spatially varying uplift rates Python
  • Linear Diffusion and fluvial erosion of a Gaussian Hill (Python, Jupyter Notebook, PDF)
  • Forward modeling of a real landscape - loading a DEM for the Baspa Valley (NW Himalaya) and model diffusional and fluvial erosion processes (Python, Jupyter Notebook, PDF

Wednesday, 19.02.2020

• Introduction to Lidar and Point Cloud (PC) analysis
• Using a Terrestrial Lidar scanner to generate your own point Cloud outside
• PC analysis, visualization and classification using open-source tools
• Ground classification and gridding of PC data to generate high-resolution DTMs:
  • Using PDAL to ground-classify PCs and generate DTMs for the University of Potsdam Campus Golm (PDF) and the Santa Cruz Island, California (PDF)

Thursday, 19.02.2020

• Introduction of Matlab TopoToolbox
• Using TopoToolbox to constrain topometrics, steepness indices and chi values. The DEMs are contained in the Matlab-Topotools folder:
  • 1 m Lidar DEM for Santa Cruz Island (Matlab Code)
  • 30m SRTM1 DEM for the Tons-Yamuna Catchments in the NW Himalaya (Matlab Code)

Friday, 19.02.2020

• Examples and Exercises from the Baspa Valley in the Himalaya:
  • Short compilation of radar- and optical-based near global DEMs PDF
  • DEM Analysis using a SRTM1 30m (Matlab Code and PDF) and ALOS PALSAR 12.5m (Matlab Code and PDF) data
  • Using landlab to model the topography of the Baspa catchment (Python, Jupyter Notebook, PDF)