Remote sensing and GIS technology in the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) Project

  • Authors:

  • Bruce Raup;Andreas Kääb;Jeffrey S. Kargel;Michael P. Bishop;Gordon Hamilton;Ella Lee;Frank Paul;Frank Rau;Deborah Soltesz;Siri Jodha Singh Khalsa;Matthew Beedle;Christopher Helm

  • Affiliations:

  • National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, 449 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA;Glaciology and Geomorphodynamics Group, Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland;University of Arizona, 1133 E. North Campus Dr., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA;Durham Science Center, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 267 Omaha, NE 68182-0199, USA;Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, Maine, USA;US Geological Survey, 2255 N. Gemini Dr., Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA;Glaciology and Geomorphodynamics Group, Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland;Inst. Physische Geographie, University of Freiburg, Werderring 4, D-79085 Freiburg, Germany;US Geological Survey, 2255 N. Gemini Dr., Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA;National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, 449 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA;National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, 449 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA;National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, 449 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA

  • Venue:
  • Computers & Geosciences
  • Year:
  • 2007

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Abstract

Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) is an international consortium established to acquire satellite images of the world's glaciers, analyze them for glacier extent and changes, and to assess these change data in terms of forcings. The consortium is organized into a system of Regional Centers, each of which is responsible for glaciers in their region of expertise. Specialized needs for mapping glaciers in a distributed analysis environment require considerable work developing software tools: terrain classification emphasizing snow, ice, water, and admixtures of ice with rock debris; change detection and analysis; visualization of images and derived data; interpretation and archival of derived data; and analysis to ensure consistency of results from different Regional Centers. A global glacier database has been designed and implemented at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (Boulder, CO); parameters have been expanded from those of the World Glacier Inventory (WGI), and the database has been structured to be compatible with (and to incorporate) WGI data. The project as a whole was originated, and has been coordinated by, the US Geological Survey (Flagstaff, AZ), which has also led the development of an interactive tool for automated analysis and manual editing of glacier images and derived data (GLIMSView). This article addresses remote sensing and Geographic Information Science techniques developed within the framework of GLIMS in order to fulfill the goals of this distributed project. Sample applications illustrating the developed techniques are also shown.