Search results for "Geomatic"

A methodology for the rapid characterization of Mode II delamination fatigue threshold in FRP composites

2019

Abstract A new methodology to measure the Mode II interlaminar fracture in fatigue for FRP composites is developed. The proposed methodology uses a Modified Transvers Crack Tensile (MTCT) specimen and is able to characterize the near threshold behavior in a robust, easier and significantly faster way than standard procedures. Analytical formulae, able to link the crack growth rate to the load or strain amplitudes, were found and verified, and their importance was explained, in particular, for what concerns the characterisation of the near threshold behavior. Experiments were performed both in load and strain control, while the delamination growth was monitored using different techniques inc…

Water retention behaviour of compacted and reconstituted scaly clays

2020

The paper presents the results of an experimental research devoted to investigate the response to suction variations of a scaly clay in compacted and reconstituted conditions. Different experimental techniques (axis translation, vapour equilibrium, dew point psychrometer suction measurements) were combined in order to explore the water retention properties in a wide suction range (0 ÷ 110 MPa). Experimental results allowed to define the water retention domains for a constant reference void ratio, highlighting the significant role of the microstructure on the response of the investigated clays. In particular, the collected results showed that in the low-medium suction range, the peculiar mic…

On the hydro-mechanical behaviour of a lime-treated embankment during wetting and drying cycles

2018

Abstract The paper presents some experimental results obtained on samples extracted from a full-scale embankment obtained by compacting a lime-treated clayey soil. A comprehensive test programme was carried out in order to highlight the improvement of mechanical behaviour induced by lime treatment as well as to assess the durability of the improved material, which may be affected by severe seasonal wetting and drying cycles. Direct shear tests, triaxial compression tests, swelling potential measurement and oedometric tests were performed on samples cured in controlled environmental conditions for at least 18 months. Wetting and drying cycles were applied in a very wide range of suction valu…

Sensitivity Maps of the Hilbert-Schmidt Independence Criterion

2018

Abstract Kernel dependence measures yield accurate estimates of nonlinear relations between random variables, and they are also endorsed with solid theoretical properties and convergence rates. Besides, the empirical estimates are easy to compute in closed form just involving linear algebra operations. However, they are hampered by two important problems: the high computational cost involved, as two kernel matrices of the sample size have to be computed and stored, and the interpretability of the measure, which remains hidden behind the implicit feature map. We here address these two issues. We introduce the sensitivity maps (SMs) for the Hilbert–Schmidt independence criterion (HSIC). Sensi…

Use of Guided Regularized Random Forest for Biophysical Parameter Retrieval

2018

This paper introduces a feature selection method based on random forest -the Guided Regularized Random Forest (GRRF)- which can be used in classification and regression tasks. The method is based on the regularization of the information gain in the random forest nodes to obtain a subset of relevant and non-redundant features. The proposed method is used as a preliminary step In the process of retrieving biophysical parameters from a hyperspectral image. Preliminary experiments show that we can reduce the RMSE of the retrievals by around 7% for the Leaf Area Index and around 8% for the fraction of vegetation cover when compared to the results using random forest features.

2019

Imaging and non-imaging spectroscopy employed in the field and from aircraft is frequently used to assess biochemical, structural, and functional plant traits, as well as their dynamics in an environmental matrix. With the increasing availability of high-resolution spectroradiometers, it has become feasible to measure fine spectral features, such as those needed to estimate sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (F), which is a signal related to the photosynthetic process of plants. The measurement of F requires highly accurate and precise radiance measurements in combination with very sophisticated measurement protocols. Additionally, because F has a highly dynamic nature (compared with othe…

First evaluation of the simultaneous SMOS and ELBARA-II observations in the Mediterranean region

2012

Abstract The SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) mission was launched on November 2, 2009. Over the land surfaces, simultaneous retrievals of surface soil moisture (SM) and vegetation characteristics made from the multi-angular and dual polarization SMOS observations are now available from Level-2 (L2) products delivered by the European Space Agency (ESA). Therefore, first analyses evaluating the SMOS observations in terms of Brightness Temperatures (TB) and L2 products (SM and vegetation optical depth TAU) can be carried out over several calibration/validation (cal/val) sites selected by ESA over all continents. This study is based on SMOS observations and in situ measurements carried …

Synergetic exploitation of the Sentinel-2 missions for validating the Sentinel-3 ocean and land color instrument terrestrial chlorophyll index over a…

2019

Continuity to the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) Terrestrial Chlorophyll Index (MTCI) will be provided by the Ocean and Land Color Instrument (OLCI) on-board the Sentinel-3 missions. To ensure its utility in a wide range of scientific and operational applications, validation efforts are required. In the past, direct validation has been constrained by the need for costly airborne hyperspectral data acquisitions, due to the lack of freely available high spatial resolution imagery incorporating appropriate spectral bands. The Multispectral Instrument (MSI) on-board the Sentinel-2 missions now offers a promising alternative. We explored the synergetic use of MSI data for validat…

L-Band radiative properties of vine vegetation at the MELBEX III SMOS Cal/Val Site

2012

Radiative properties at 1.4 GHz of vine vegetation are investigated by measuring brightness temperatures with the ETH L-band Radiometer II (ELBARA II) operated on a tower at the Mediterranean Ecosystem L-band Characterisation Experiment III (MELBEX III) field site in Spain. To this aim, experiments with and without a reflecting foil placed under the vines were performed for the vegetation winter and summer states, respectively, to provide prevailingly information on vegetation transmissivities. The resulting parameters, which can be considered as "ground truth" for the MELBEX III vineyard, were retrieved from brightness temperature at horizontal and vertical polarization measured at observa…

Exploring the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with the simplified ‘triangle’ technique for soil water content and evaporative fraction retriev…

2020

Participation of Dr. Petropoulos has been funded by the ENViSIoN-EO Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant (grant No 752094), part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Part of the present collaborative work was also materialised in the framework of a short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) of the HARMONIOUS Cost Action which financially supported Dr Petropoulos’ visit between 4 to 15 February 2020 to the Department of Engineering of the University of Palermo, Italy. Η συμμετοχή του Δρ. Πετρόπουλου χρηματοδοτήθηκε από το πρόγραμμα της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης για Έρευνα και Καινοτομία «Oρίζοντας 2020», δράση Marie Sklodowska - Curie , έργο ENViSIoN-EO (αριθ. 752094). Επίσης μέ…