Brief Communication: 3D landslide motion from cross correlation of UAV-derived morphological attributes

Abstract. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can provide observations of high spatio-temporal resolution to enable operational landslide monitoring. In this research, the construction of digital elevation models (DEMs) and orthomosaics from UAV imagery is achieved using structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetric procedures. The study examines the additional value that morphological attribute of openness, amongst others, can provide to surface deformation analysis. Image cross-correlation functions and DEM subtraction techniques are applied to the SfM outputs. Through the proposed integrated analysis, the effective, automated quantification of a landslide's 3D motion over time is demonstrated, with implications for the wider interpretation of landslide kinematics via UAV surveys.