Geospatial technologies and digital geomorphological mapping: Concepts, issues and research

Michael P Bishop; L Allan James; John F Shroder; Stephen J Walsh

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2011.06.027

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Geospatial technologies and digital geomorphological mapping: Concepts, issues and research

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Geospatial technologies and digital geomorphological mapping: Concepts, issues and research

Michael P Bishop, L Allan James, John F Shroder and Stephen J Walsh

Geomorphology, Vol.137(1), pp.5-26

2012

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2011.06.027

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Abstract

Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience

Geology

digital geomorphological mapping

GIScience

geomorphometry

landforms

remote sensing

topography

Geomorphological mapping plays an essential role in understanding Earth surface processes, geochronology, natural resources, natural hazards and landscape evolution. It involves the partitioning of the terrain into conceptual spatial entities based upon criteria that include morphology (form), genetics (process), composition and structure, chronology, environmental system associations (land cover, soils, ecology), as well as spatial topological relationships of surface features (landforms). Historically, the power of human visualization was primarily relied upon for analysis, introducing subjectivity and biases with respect to selection of criteria for terrain segmentation and placement of boundaries. This paper reviews new spatio-temporal data and geocomputational approaches that now permit Earth scientists to go far beyond traditional mapping, permitting quantitative characterization of landscape morphology and the integration of varied landscape thematic information. Numerous conceptual, theoretical, and information-technology issues are at the heart of digital geomorphological mapping (DGM), and scientific progress has not kept pace with new and rapidly evolving geospatial technologies. Consequently, new capabilities exist but numerous issues have not been adequately addressed. Therefore, this paper discusses conceptual foundations and illustrates how geomorphometry and mapping approaches can be used to produce geomorphological information related to the land surface and landforms, process rates, process-form relationships, and geomorphic systems.

Details

Title: Geospatial technologies and digital geomorphological mapping: Concepts, issues and research
Authors: Michael P Bishop (Author) - University of Nebraska-Omaha, United States
L Allan James (Author) - University of South Carolina, United States
John F Shroder (Author) - University of Nebraska-Omaha, United States
Stephen J Walsh (Author) - University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, United States
Publication details: Geomorphology, Vol.137(1), pp.5-26
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date published: 2012
DOI: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2011.06.027
ISSN: 0169-555X
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99449209702621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Geography, Physical; Geosciences, Multidisciplinary

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