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Engineering Geology

Engineering Geology - geomuseu

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Chapter 7<br />

by satellites 800 km out in space. The PSInSAR method exploits a dense network of “natural”<br />

reflectors that can be any hard surface such as a rock outcrop, a building wall or roof or<br />

a road kerb. These reflectors are visible to the radar sensor over many years. Permanent<br />

scatterer interferometry produces maps showing rates of displacement, accurate to a few<br />

millimetres per year, over time periods, currently up to a decade long. The process provides<br />

millimetric displacement histories for each reflector point across the entire time period<br />

analysed, as calculated at every individual radar scene acquisition. Hence, small incremental<br />

ground movements can be detected.<br />

Aerial Photographs<br />

The amount of useful information that can be obtained from aerial photographs varies with<br />

the nature of the terrain and the type and quality of the photographs. A study of aerial<br />

photographs allows the area concerned to be divided into topographical and geological units,<br />

and enables the engineering geologist to plan fieldwork and to select locations for sampling.<br />

This should result in a shorter, more profitable period in the field.<br />

Aerial photographs are being digitized and distributed on CD-ROMS that are compatible with<br />

desktop computers and image processing software. Orthophotographs are aerial<br />

photographs that have been scanned into digital format and computer processed so that<br />

radial distortion is removed. These photographs have a consistent scale and therefore may<br />

be used in the same ways as maps.<br />

Examination of consecutive pairs of aerial photographs with a stereoscope allows<br />

observation of a 3D image of the ground surface. The 3D image means that heights can be<br />

determined and contours can be drawn, thereby producing a topographic map. However, the<br />

relief presented in this image is exaggerated, and therefore slopes appear steeper than they<br />

actually are. Nonetheless, this helps the detection of minor changes in slope and elevation.<br />

Unfortunately, exaggeration proves a definite disadvantage in mountainous areas, as it<br />

becomes difficult to distinguish between steep and very steep slopes. A camera with a longer<br />

focal lens reduces the amount of exaggeration, and therefore its use may prove preferable in<br />

such areas. Digital photogrammetric methods use digital images and a computer instead of<br />

a photogrammetric plotter to derive digital elevation models (DEMs) with the advantage that<br />

various aspects of the measurement process can be automated (Chandler, 2001).<br />

There are four main types of film used in normal aerial photography, namely black and white,<br />

infrared monochrome, true colour and false colour. Black-and-white film is used for<br />

topographic survey work and for normal interpretation purposes. The other types of film are<br />

used for special purposes. For example, infrared monochrome film makes use of the fact that<br />

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