TEACHING INFORMATION-INTENSIVE METHODS IN THE FIELD: TERRESTRIAL LIDAR SCANNING OF THE LONE PEAK ROCK GLACIER, MONTANA

Advances in lidar and photogrammetry are rapidly changing the way we investigate the Earth, providing new insights into landforms, structures, and processes that may remain obscure to established field methods. The pace of innovation, propelled by applications in computer vision and autonomous navigation, is likely to accelerate creating a demand for Earth science graduates with working knowledge of point cloud collection, processing, and analysis. Integrating lidar and photogrammetry exercises into summer field courses is one way for students to gain hands-on experience with these technologies in an intensive problem-based setting. Many obstacles to conducting technology- and information-intensive projects in the field have prevented widespread adoption of point-cloud methods in field instruction. These projects often require expensive equipment and/or software, access to computers, warm and dry workspace, extensive curriculum development, and expert technical support.

The experience of the summer 2017 Montana State University (MSU) field course demonstrates that teaching technology- and information-intensive methods such as lidar and photogrammetry is now feasible within the context of a conventional field course. Leveraging training, curricular materials, and technical support provided by UNAVCO the MSU field course offered a five-day lidar module as part of our established six-credit capstone course. Working in groups, 25 students completed a Terrestrial Lidar Scan (TLS) of the Lone Peak Rock Glacier (LPRG) at Big Sky, Montana and compared the results to a 2005 Aerial Lidar Scan (ALS) of the area to detect changes in the glacier surface. Despite partial snow cover, quality data was obtained showing a complex pattern of surface change and about 3 m of downslope displacement of a structure on the glacier. Pedagogical challenges included time management and technical troubleshooting. Data from the project will be integrated into an ongoing research project involving undergraduate and graduate students. The success of the summer 2017 lidar module shows that a convergence of maturing technology and access to community resources has finally made it possible to integrate information-intensive point cloud techniques into field instruction.