Simulating the Overland Flow in Prospectively Cleared Tropical Forest or Expressway Using Airborne LIDAR & High Resolution Optical Images

EasyChair Preprint 2673

Abstract

This study simulates the overland flow using the forest structural parameters and high resolution terrain information attained from the airborne LIDAR, the high resolution (HiRes) optical imagery and rainfall data in the potentially cleared tropical forest due to road development. Significant overland flow would affect the driving convenience in the prospective road. Measuring the overland flow using field measurement was constrained by small site coverage, enduring harsh tropical forest environment, complex computation with various input variables and time-ineffective. A substitute or support methodology is required in order to measure the interception for large areas in economic time frame. Prior to that, an experiment was conducted in Limbang, one of the prospective Pan-Borneo route located in the state of Sarawak in Borneo Island. The overland flow is simulated for two conditions, (i) present situation (natural condition), and (ii) prospective future situation (cleared forest condition and terrain changes). Canopy interception is derived from the three-dimensional tree canopy structure using the LIDAR information and HiRes optical images. The simulation of the future overland flow after the road development is carried out by quantifying the amount of run-off with the areas involve with the actual road alignment is removed. Subsequently, the overland flow value before and after the prospective road development is compared. The output of this study would be useful to understand the aftermath effect of tropical forest removal to driving convenience; one of the critical aspects that influenced the sustainable transportation and environmental safety in the humid tropics.

Keyphrases: Airborne remote sensing, Forest Hydrology, Rainfall

@booklet{EasyChair:2673,
  author    = {Abd. Ramlizauyahhudin Mahli and Mohd. Rizaludin Mahmud and Mohd. Nadzri Mohd. Reba},
  title     = {Simulating the Overland Flow in Prospectively Cleared Tropical Forest or Expressway Using Airborne LIDAR & High Resolution Optical Images},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 2673},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2020}}