HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Abstract Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (10) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Darboux, F. Articles by Huang, C.-h. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Darboux, F. Articles by Huang, C.-h. Agricola Articles by Darboux, F. Articles by Huang, C.-h. Related Collections Soil Geomorphology and Geography Remote Sensing Spatial Distribution

An Instantaneous-Profile Laser Scanner to Measure Soil Surface Microtopography

^a Purdue University, presently at: INRA-Science du sol, B.P. 20619, F-45166 Olivet Cedex, France
^b USDA–ARS, National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory, 1196 Soil Bldg., Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1196

View larger version (19K): [in a new window]   Fig. 1. Layout of the instantaneous profile laser scanner.

View larger version (28K): [in a new window]   Fig. 2. Position of calibration and validation points viewed by the camera in (a) the (x, z) geometric coordinate, and (b) (column, row) camera pixel coordinate.

View larger version (41K): [in a new window]   Fig. 3. Position of the measured and estimated points in the laser-beam plane for the calibration and validation points.

View larger version (21K): [in a new window]   Fig. 4. Resolutions of the laser scanner in millimeters, shown as contours, for (a) horizontal direction (with width of the profile) and (b) vertical direction (with height of the profile from the bottom edge of the picture).

View larger version (43K): [in a new window]   Fig. 5. Frequency distribution of the accuracy/resolution ratio for the calibration (a and b) and validation (c and d) points in the x and z directions.

View larger version (22K): [in a new window]   Fig. 6. Distribution of static noise at an acquisition rate of (a) 6.5 Hz and (b) 0.15 Hz.

View larger version (25K): [in a new window]   Fig. 7. Accuracy analysis of the laser scanner showing (a) absolute accuracy from the distribution of measured heights obtained using a stairlike shape object with 5-mm high steps; and (b) relative accuracy from the distribution of height differences form two digital elevation models (DEMs) of the same soil surface.

View larger version (137K): [in a new window]   Fig. 8. Successive laser-scanned surface topography displaying the progression of a head cut from an area 35 cm wide by 70 cm long. Heights are represented in gray levels with darker tones for lower elevations (maximal height range: 44 mm). The black areas are missing values because of the shadow effect.