Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems
Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems
GI
Articles | Volume 14, issue 1
Articles | Volume 14, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-14-69-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-14-69-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 14, issue 1
Research article
 | 
30 Apr 2025
Research article |  | 30 Apr 2025

Review of methodological considerations and recommendations for mapping remote glaciers from aerial photography surveys in suboptimal conditions

Dorota Medrzycka, Luke Copland, Laura Thomson, William Kochtitzky, and Braden Smeda

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Cited articles

Anderson, K., Westoby, M. J., and James, M. R.: Low-budget topographic surveying comes of age: Structure from motion photogrammetry in geography and the geosciences, Prog. Phys. Geog.-Earth and Environment, 43, 163–173, https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133319837454, 2019. a
Bash, E. A. and Moorman, B. J.: Surface melt and the importance of water flow – an analysis based on high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) data for an Arctic glacier, The Cryosphere, 14, 549–563, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-549-2020, 2020. a
Bash, E. A., Moorman, B. J., and Gunther, A.: Detecting short-term surface melt on an arctic glacier using UAV surveys, Remote Sens., 10, 1547, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10101547, 2018. a
Brown, D.: Close-range camera calibration, Photogramm. Eng., 37, 855–866, 1971. a
Carbonneau, P. E. and Dietrich, J. T.: Cost-effective non-metric photogrammetry from consumer-grade sUAS: implications for direct georeferencing of structure from motion photogrammetry, Earth Surf. Process. Landf., 42, 473–486, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4012, 2017. a, b
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This work explores the use of aerial photography surveys for mapping glaciers, specifically in challenging environments. Using examples from two glaciers in Arctic Canada, we discuss the main factors which can affect data collection and review methods for capturing and processing images to create accurate topographic maps. Key recommendations include choosing the right camera and positioning equipment and adapting survey design to maximise data quality, even under less-than-ideal conditions.
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