Automatic cloud top height determination in mountainous areas using a cost-effective time-lapse camera system
2014
H. M. Schulz | S.-C. Chang | B. Thies | J. Bendix
A new method is presented for the determination of cloud top heights using the footage of a time-lapse camera that is placed above a frequently occurring cloud layer in a mountain valley. Contact points between cloud tops and underlying terrain are automatically detected in the camera image based on differences in the brightness, texture and movement of cloudy and non-cloudy areas. The height of the detected cloud top positions is determined by comparison with a digital elevation model projected to the view of the camera. The technique has been validated using data about the cloud immersion of a second camera as well as via visual assessment. The validation shows a high detection quality, especially regarding the requirements for the validation of satellite cloud top retrieval algorithms.
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