High-Resolution and High-Precision 3D Modeling of Lunar Topography by Integrating Multi-Image Shape-from-Shading, Image Matching and Range Data

 Funded by: The Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (GRF), 2015

Funding Amount: HK$695,788

Project Timeline: 01-2016 to 01-2019

Project Overview  |  Research Team  |   Publications 

Project Overview

High-resolution and high-precision lunar topographic information is essential to lunar exploration missions and scientific research. Such information is commonly derived from images using stereoscopic image matching and photogrammetry. However, image matching may fail to produce dense and correctly matching results for lunar surface imagery due to a lack of image textures. Moreover, high-resolution stereoscopic images of lunar surfaces are rare. Shape-from-shading (SfS) is a complementary approach to image matching that is most accurate when the input images are untextured. SfS can generate topographic information with very high resolution and can be used for a single image or multiple images. But SfS alone may not enable an accurate reconstruction of the 3D structure of the imaged scene. Therefore, it is highly desirable to develop innovative approaches to integrate SfS with other means such as stereo image matching and range data for high-resolution and high-precision lunar topographical modeling. The objectives of this project are:

(1) To systematically investigate lunar radiometric models and identify the most suitable model for variable lunar surface-reflectance properties.
(2) To develop an innovative means of integrating multi-image SfS and stereoscopic image matching for lunar topographic modeling in circumstances in which images with favorable stereo configuration are available.
(3) To develop an innovative method of integrating multi-image SfS and range data for lunar topographic modeling in circumstances in which only monocular images are available.
(4) To systematically evaluate the developed methods using images collected by the Chinese Chang’E-2 and NASA’s LRO Narrow Angle Camera and range data collected by LRO, and to generate high-resolution, high-precision lunar topographic models of regions of interest to support future lunar exploration missions.

The proposed project will contribute to the scientific and technological advancement of planetary mapping and science. The synergistic integration of complementary methods will provide lunar topographic modeling with higher-quality spatial resolution and precision than are attainable using individual methods. This will be very valuable to lunar exploration and scientific investigations.

Research Team

Principal Investigator:

Dr. Bo Wu, Department of Land Surveying & Geo-Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Co-Investigator:

Prof. Christian Wöhler, Image Analysis Group, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Technical University of Dortmund, Germany

Research Staff:

LIU Wai Chung Morgan, MPhil Student

Support Organization

Publications

• A. Grumpe, C. Wöhler, M. Liu, B. Wu, 2015. Construction of very high resolution DTMs based on NAC images using stereo analysis and shape from shading: A first glance. 46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, March 16-20, 2015, The Woodlands, Texas, USA.

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