Uncertainity Analysis on Photogrammetry-Derived National Shoreline

TitleUncertainity Analysis on Photogrammetry-Derived National Shoreline
Publication TypeThesis
Year2014
AuthorsYao, F
Degree and ProgramMaster of Science in Earth Sciences
Number of Pages107
Date PublishedMay 2014
UniversityUniversity of New Hampshire
LocationDurham, NH

Photogrammetric shoreline mapping remains the primary method for mapping the national shoreline used by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). To date, NGS has not conducted a statistical analysis on the photogrammetry-derived shoreline uncertainty. The aim of this thesis is to develop and test a rigorous total propagated uncertainty (TPU) model for shoreline compiled from both tide-coordinated and non-tide-coordinated aerial imagery using photogrammetric methods. Survey imagery collected over a study site in northeast Maine was used to test the TPU model. The TPU model developed in this thesis can easily be extended to other areas and may facilitate estimation of uncertainty in inundation models and marsh migration models.