Acta Geodaetica et Cartographica Sinica ›› 2023, Vol. 52 ›› Issue (11): 1805-1834.doi: 10.11947/j.AGCS.2023.20230003

• Review •     Next Articles

Development status and trends of Imaging Geodesy

LI Zhenhong1,2,3,4, ZHU Wu1,2,3,4, YU Chen1,2,3,4, ZHANG Qin1,2,3,4, YANG Yuanxi5,6   

  1. 1. School of Geological Engineering and Geomatics, Chang'an University, Xi'an 710054, China;
    2. Key Laboratory of Loess, Xi'an 710054, China;
    3. Big Data Center for Geosciences and Satellites, Chang'an University, Xi'an 710054, China;
    4. Key Laboratory of Western China's Mineral Resources and Geological Engineering, Ministry of Education, Xi'an 710054, China;
    5. State Key Laboratory of Geo-Information Engineering, Xi'an 710054, China;
    6. Xi'an Research Institute of Surveying and Mapping, Xi'an 710054, China
  • Received:2023-01-03 Revised:2023-10-18 Published:2023-12-15
  • Supported by:
    The National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41941019;42074040);The National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2020YFC1512000);Shaanxi Province Science and Technology Innovation Team (No. 2021TD-51);Shaanxi Province Geoscience Big Data and Geohazard Prevention Innovation Team (No. 2022);ESA-MOST DRAGON-5 Project (No. 59339);Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Nos. 300102260301;300102263401;300102263502;300102262902;300102261108;300203211261)

Abstract: The utilization of remote sensing satellites has led to a significant increase in the use of imagery for acquiring Earth-related data. These satellites offer high observational accuracy and spatio-temporal resolutions, making them valuable tools for obtaining geodetic parameters, such as the shape and size of our planet. This advancement has not only propelled the field of Geodesy but has also given rise to a new discipline known as Imaging Geodesy. Imaging Geodesy has become an interdisciplinary science of Geodesy, Remote Sensing, Photogrammetry and Computer Vision, and has played an important role in the fields of disaster reduction, environmental protection and new energy development. In this paper, the development, definition, key technologies, main contents and development trends of Imaging Geodesy are summarized. With the development of remote sensing satellites and corresponding image processing technologies, the developmental history of Imaging Geodesy can be divided into four stages, i.e. beginning, leaping, in-depth innovation, and comprehensive application. According to the locations of its research objects, Imaging Geodesy's research contents include: observing the Earth's atmosphere, monitoring the Earth's surface, and determining the physical structure of the Earth's interior. To illustrate the practical applications of Imaging Geodesy, five scenarios are presented: generation of digital elevation models, monitoring of atmospheric water vapor, detection and monitoring of active landslides, investigation of earthquake cycles and monitoring of soil moisture. One major challenge of Imaging Geodesy is how to fuse and process the big data from multiple sources in near real time. It is believed that this paper would assist geodesy scholars in better understanding Imaging Geodesy, enabling them to integrate this emerging field into their teaching and research and to contribute to national strategies and project developments.

Key words: Imaging Geodesy, history of development, intension and extension, applications, major challenges

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