Figure 1. An example of a digital outcrop model, Woodside Canyon, Utah, USA. Top: an overview of a DOM in a form of a coloured point cloud (A) and a textured model (B). Area marked in red enlarged showed in C and D. Bottom: A coloured point cloud (C) and a textured model (D) seen from a closer distance.
A digital outcrop model (DOM), also called a virtual outcrop model, is a digital 3D representation of the outcrop surface, mostly in a form of textured polygon mesh.
DOMs allow for interpretation and reproducible measurement[1] of different geological features, e.g. orientation of geological surfaces, width and thickness of layers. The quantity of identifiable and measurable geological features highly depends on the outcrop model resolution and accuracy.[2]
Using remote sensing techniques enables these 3D models to cover areas with difficult accessibility, e.g. several meter high cliff walls. The fact that geological interpretation can be performed on the screen, also in inaccessible areas where using conventional fieldwork methods may be unsafe, and the large quantity of data that can be collected in relatively short time are the key advantages of using DOMs.[3] Georeferencing digital outcrop models allows for integration with other spatial data, e.g. results of digital geologic mapping or GIS.
Alternatively to the photorealistic textured models 3D digital outcrop models may be represented by a point cloud coloured with the spectral (RGB) data from the corresponding images. Such surface model representation accurately describes the topography of the outcrop but due to its discrete nature is often difficult to interpret (see Figure 1.).
Texturing digital polygonal outcrop models with images enhances the models with high resolution continuous data and therefore facilitates geological interpretation.[2]
^J.A. Bellian, C. Kerans and D.C. Jennette, 2005. Digital Outcrop Models: Applications of Terrestrial Scanning Lidar Technology in Stratigraphic Modeling, Journal of Sedimentary Research, vol. 75, issue 2, pp. 166-176
^ abBuckley, S.; Howell, J.; Enge, H.; Kurz, T. (2008). "Terrestrial laser scanning in geology: data acquisition, processing and accuracy considerations". Journal of the Geological Society. 165 (3): 625–638. doi:10.1144/0016-76492007-100. hdl:1956/4302. S2CID 129757527.
^Buckley, S.; Enge, H.; Carlsson, C.; Howell, J. (2010). "Terrestrial Laser Scanning for use in Virtual Outcrop Geology". The Photogrammetric Record. 25 (131): 225–239. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.471.9674. doi:10.1111/j.1477-9730.2010.00585.x. S2CID 140647568.
and 25 Related for: Digital outcrop model information
A digitaloutcropmodel (DOM), also called a virtual outcropmodel, is a digital 3D representation of the outcrop surface, mostly in a form of textured...
A digital elevation model (DEM) or digital surface model (DSM) is a 3D computer graphics representation of elevation data to represent terrain or overlaying...
Balance beam, or beam, a piece of gymnastics equipment The Beam (geological outcrop), in South Hero, Vermont, U.S. Battle of the Beams, a period in World War...
Walker, J.D., and Black, R.A, 2000, Mapping the outcrop: Geotimes, vol. 45, no. 11, p. 28-31. "Digital Field Mapping, Department of Geology, University...
the Augustan Mars Ultor. The Areopagus ("mount of Ares"), a natural rock outcrop in Athens, some distance from the Acropolis, was supposedly where Ares...
evaluated remotely, enabling a 3-D investigation of slopes with virtual outcrops. LiDAR technology (Light Detection and Ranging) is a remote sensing technique...
Yonaguni Island using a digital elevation model and geological field investigations of the strata, rocks, and microtopography of outcrops at three locations...
landmarks. Natural landmarks include such diverse sites as the gritstone outcrop of Otley Chevin and the Fairburn Ings RSPB reserve. The city's parks at...
(2019). Somerville, I. D. (ed.). "New basal synapsid discovery at the P outcrop of Torre del Porticciolo ( A lghero, I taly)". Geological Journal. 54 (3):...
administration and taxation in the greater Ganges Plain; this system became a model for later Indian kingdoms. Under the Guptas, a renewed Hinduism based on...
romanized: Akrópoli Athinón) is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens, Greece, and contains the remains of several ancient...
fathoms) resolution. The mapping revealed the existence of four rocky outcrops thought to be former seamounts. The Mariana Trench is a site chosen by...
Volery, C., Bazalgette, L., and Strauss, C.G.E. (2021), "From outcrop to subsurface model - Large-scale fractured zones in Apulian platform carbonates...
resources, and history. Much of the Mesozoic Era is represented by exposed outcrops in the many arid regions of the continent. The most significant Late Jurassic...
short distance to the west. It is thought to represent the only sandstone outcrop in the Azov-Kuban Depression. The shape of this sand hill is similar to...
rainforests is challenging because the thick vegetation cover and rock outcrops are poorly exposed. Applying remote sensing with machine learning approaches...
inactive as of April 2024 (link) Hodgetts, D. (2013). Laser scanning and digitaloutcrop geology in the petroleum industry: a review. Marine and Petroleum Geology...
him. As part of this construction project, a shaft dug into the granite outcrop known as Man-o'-War Reef to reach the tunnels produced excess landfill...
600 ft) away, on the eastern slope of Kholat Syakhl. A prominent rock outcrop in the area now serves as a memorial to the group. It is located about...
southwest to Putnam County, West Virginia. This coal seam is named for its outcrop high on the sheer north face of Mount Washington in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
hogback that exposes the Cretaceous Frontier Formation sandstone. The next outcrop is White Mountain containing Mid-Eocene exposure. The North and South margins...
Landscape. The national landscape also includes Bodmin Moor, an upland outcrop of the Cornubian batholith granite formation. The county contains many...
Thunderbird Shadow's launch area on Tracy Island is located on a rock outcrop in a hangar shared with Thunderbirds 1, 3 and 4. Once Kayo is geared up...
boulder was controlled by a steel rod concealed in the wall by rubber rock outcroppings. Ford performed the stunt ten times for the different camera angles....
Global Information