Point Cloud Technologies for Geomorphologists

Starting from concrete examples in Geomorphology, this comprehensive textbook explains to graduate and postgraduate students, point-cloud data technology and associated methods from acquisition to final-product generation. In the last few decades, Geo-sciences have experienced a paradigm shift from the challenge of collecting enough data to the need of creating new processing tools that can handle the billions of data. This shift has come to Geomorphology with the increasing use of surface-pointclouds obtained from photogrammetry, laser scanners and processed by specialist software, and it is thus necessary for the next generation of geomorphologist to be fluent in these technologies.

 Consequently, this book explains from concrete examples how to use pointcloud technologies, from data collection to processing and final product generation. The philosophy of this book relies on two principles, first: you do not have to be a tech-wizard to use pointcloud technologies, allowing the you to bring back the focus on your science; second pointcloud methods can be affordable, therefore the book provide a set of worked-examples in the different geomorphological environments using open source software and R and Python code samples.

The book can be used as a textbook in a geomorphology, geology, physical geography, Sabo-sciences and engineering class, as well as a companion for the more seasoned scientist who wants to solve specific problems.

Christopher Gomez is a Full Professor in Earth-processes and Environmental Hazards at the University of Kobe, Japan, where he teaches courses in geomorphology, climate-change, Sediment-hazards, environmental processes and disaster risk. He leads the SABO laboratory, that concentrates on sediment hazards and their prevention. His research focus lies on the chain of environmental-processes that act at the landscape scales, integrating hydrology, sediments, vegetation and human activities, with an emphasis on hazardous earth-processes.