APPLICATIONS OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND STRUCTURE FROM MOTION FOR RESEARCH AND UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

Structure from Motion (SfM) has quickly become the simplest and least expensive way to render three-dimensional digital models from standard photographs. Photogrammetry is the technique used to shoot subjects to optimize the SfM outputs. When shot correctly, this process can achieve research-grade levels of precision. Further processing allows these three-dimensional images to be shared online for easy access to anyone.This research shares some of the many ways photogrammetry can be applicable in geological research and to enhance student engagement through remote learning. To further explore this, the Fred Webb outdoor rock garden located next to the Rankin Science building on Appalachian State University’s campus was digitized and put online so ASU students or anyone around the world can access the three-dimensional images of all the individual rocks. Another way photogrammetry can be useful in Geology is for scientific research. An artificial foot print was created to evaluate erosion rates for an anthropological site. The photogrammetry software, Agisoft, was manipulated and developed as a tool to determine the areas of erosion and the rates of the erosion. The same technique developed in previous research can also be adapted to get three-dimensional objects from large areas; for example, road cuts and geologic outcrops.