APRÈN. Portal de la producció docent del professorat de la UPC

This Final Degree Project aims to explore in detail the possibilities offered by Mixed Reality through the use of the Microsoft HoloLens 2 immersive visualization glasses in the inspection of 3D models of the slopes under study. This research is part of the GeoRisk project, which is based on the use of real data collected over the past few years, both by the project itself and by the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia. Additionally, this project also includes data obtained from the EROSLOP project, which studies erosion in the Vallcebre area (Berguedà, Catalonia). The main objective of this work is to evaluate how Mixed Reality has been used in various fields so far, with the intention of extracting relevant details and applying them specifically to the study of slopes. Through the use of the ClirioView application for the Microsoft HoloLens 2 glasses, a detailed analysis of the functionalities and potential offered by this application is conducted. The ultimate goal of this exploration is to improve the ability to visualize and detect changes in these environments to achieve a better understanding of the natural phenomena affecting them.

This thesis develops an integrated monitoring framework aimed at assessing the spatial and temporal dynamics of suspended particles and water quality indicators in La Baells Reservoir, Catalonia, by utilizing cutting-edge remote sensing technologies. The study leverages highresolution Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, combined with local meteorological data from Guardiola de Berguedà station, to analyze key parameters, including turbidity and chlorophyll-a concentrations, across varied environmental conditions. The findings illustrate that significant rainfall events are primary drivers of increased turbidity, with levels typically peaking several days post-rainfall due to sediment transport and hydrodynamic processes rather than direct precipitation effects. This delayed response highlights the influence of water inflow and sediment resuspension on turbidity levels. Concurrently, the analysis shows an upsurge in chlorophyll-a concentrations following rainfall events, attributed to nutrientrich runoff, which underscores the reservoir's susceptibility to algal blooms during such periods. The methodology integrates automated data processing using Python-based scripts within the Google Earth Engine platform, allowing efficient handling and analysis of large datasets. The approach demonstrates the effectiveness of remote sensing in providing a scalable, noninvasive means of continuous environmental monitoring, facilitating decision-making for reservoir management. This research contributes significantly to water quality monitoring by providing insights into the synergistic effects of meteorological events on water quality parameters, emphasizing the need for proactive management strategies to mitigate potential ecological impacts. Furthermore, the study compares its findings with previous research, confirming remote sensing's utility while offering novel insights into sediment and biological responses to climatic variables. Despite challenges related to cloud cover and data calibration with in-situ measurements, this research sets a foundation for future studies by suggesting the integration of additional technological advancements, such as machine learning, to enhance predictive modeling capabilities. The adoption and expansion of this framework will aid in better understanding and managing the ecological health of reservoir systems under changing environmental conditions.

In this end-of-degree project, a temporary study of vegetation has been carried out in a specific area during periods of drought, using satellite images obtained from the Landsat 5, 8 and Sentinel-2 satellites, and framed in the fields of remote sensing, instrumentation and big data, which nowadays are essential tools in environmental monitoring and already give us, among others, the ability to analyze changes in the health of the ecosystems. Through the processing and analysis of these images, attempts have been made to identify variations in the state of the vegetation over a designated area. The use of remote sensing in this study has proven to be an effective methodology for the continuous monitoring of changes in ecosystems, and not only it allows the observation of large areas of land, but also the collection of historical data that are crucial for understanding long-term trends. This approach is fundamental to environmental planning and management, helping to make strong and coherent decisions to mitigate the effects of climate change and protect natural resources.

A través de diversos estudios se ha establecido la correlación entre precipitaciones y deslizamientos, pero no existe una evidencia tan clara en relación con los desprendimientos de rocas. El objetivo de este proyecto es analizar si existe una relación entre las variaciones térmicas y la existencia de precipitación con este tipo de fenómenos. Para ello, se realizará un volcado de los eventos recogidos en las bases de datos del IGME, BDMoves, y del ICGC, Lliscat, y se georreferenciaran cada uno de ellos. Los datos meteorológicos se han obtenido de las estaciones más cercanas a los eventos, considerando especialmente la información proporcionada por el METEOCAT. Adicionalmente, se han consultado las litologías de las zonas donde se han producido los eventos. La litología, que describe las características físicas y químicas de las rocas, es un factor crucial, ya que diferentes tipos de rocas pueden responder de manera distinta a las variaciones térmicas y a la presencia de agua. Para llevar a cabo el estudio se han elegido algunas zonas de características diferentes, centrándose principalmente en el macizo de Montserrat, dado que es el lugar con un mayor número de eventos inventariados, y se dispone de una estación meteorológica muy cercana. En esta zona se ha observado que la existe una correlación clara, pero sería la precipitación uno de los factores desencadenantes en más de 80% de los eventos. El análisis de los desprendimientos en Prades y Pantano de Siurana revela que el principal factor puede ser la precipitación acumulada, mientras que la amplitud térmica, es decir, el cambio rápido de temperaturas negativas a positivas, también puede tener una relación significativa con los desprendimientos. En la zona de Sort y Espot, debido a su altitud, el principal factor podía ser la variación térmica junto con las precipitaciones, lo que puede provocar el ciclo de congelación y deshielo. No obstante, la variación brusca de temperatura, especialmente después de períodos de lluvia, también puede desempeñar un papel importante. Sin embargo, esto último es difícil de asegurar sin termómetros y sensores que permitan conocer realmente el comportamiento de la roca.

In this work, after identifying the unmet need for a small vessel with which to do bathymetric work, an autonomous bathymetric work vessel is proposed, designed, built and tested. Therefore, it will go into detail both in the design of this type of vessel and its components, as well as in the constructive methods that had to be developed to be able to carry out this project. During the design phase, a deep analysis of the performance of each part of the vessel is carried out, including analysis with finite elements, CFD and experimental methods. Finally, two bathymetric plans are made in real environments to demonstrate the hydrological topography capabilities of the prototype vessel and through the navigation data collected during the execution of the bathymetry, the range and performance of this will be characterized.

El aprendizaje automático, o machine learning, ha entrado con fuerza en el ámbito de la investigación, transformando la forma en que los científicos y académicos abordan sus problemas. Se puede considerar como un nuevo pilar en el proceso de la investigación científica, complementando las metodologías tradicionales. En los últimos años, el machine learning ha demostrado ser una herramienta esencial en el análisis de grandes conjuntos de datos, descubrir patrones y extraer conocimientos valiosos que de otra forma se nos escaparían. Además, la programación permite, cada vez más, automatizar procesos que de otra forma serían áreas tediosas y repetitivas, liberando así tiempo para realizar otras actividades de investigación. Las imágenes satelitales y los datos del Sistema de Identificación Automática (AIS, siglas en inglés) de las embarcaciones son dos fuentes valiosas de información en el ámbito de la navegación. Las imágenes radar ofrecen una visión de la ubicación y el movimiento de las embarcaciones independientemente de las condiciones climáticas o de iluminación. Por otro lado, los datos AIS son un sistema de seguimiento cada vez implantado en más buques y navíos de recreo que transmiten datos clave, como la identificación, rumbo, velocidad y medidas de la embarcación, enviados regularmente y recibidos por barcos y puertos mundialmente. Dentro de este marco se busca realizar un trabajo de investigación centrado en estas tecnologías. Dicho trabajo tiene dos partes diferenciadas. En la primera parte creamos un código que cruce datos AIS con las imágenes satelitales cerciorándonos de que realmente las embarcaciones aparezcan y se vean y la creación de etiquetas mediante buffers para alimentar posteriormente al modelo de predicción basado en un aprendizaje supervisado. Todo el proceso de obtener los datos, procesarlos con distintos filtros, crear los buffers y la comprobación de que las etiquetas están realmente bien, ya que si se alimenta erróneamente el algoritmo nunca funcionará. Y la segunda parte, que se basa en la realización del modelo de predicción. Para ello es necesario aprender y entender qué es Machine Learning, cómo funciona y finalmente hacer un proceso propio.

The mountain of Montserrat, located 50 km northwest of Barcelona, represents a long history of tradition and culture in Catalonia to which millions of people come year after year. Geologically, it is a rocky structure, formed mainly by conglomerates, siltstones and sandstones. In recent years, due to the landslides that occurred between 2006 and 2010 in the Degotalls sector, close to the monastery and with damage to infrastructures, the dangerousness of this particular massif was evidenced. It is for this purpose that the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC) carries out the study and monitoring of rockfalls with the intention of mitigating the effects and reducing vulnerability in the areas of greatest exposure of Montserrat. In this context, the present work aims to detect rockfalls that occurred in 3 study areas of Montserrat with data obtained with a terrestrial laser scanner from July 2019 to December 2020, having 4 monitoring campaigns.

This study looks into the future of evolving triggering rainfall conditions in a changing climate, and aims to establish a link to tools in the present to assess shallow landslide susceptibility. Focus is given to the triggering rainfall conditions represented by extreme daily rainfall and mean seasonal rainfall. The study site selected in this research was Wanzhou County, China. This county lies in a region of China that receives 90% of its annual rainfall during the summer months. The effect of which is observed with 80% of shallow landslides occurring between June to August from 1995-2005. This research project delivered proof-of-concept for a methodological framework to derive shallow landslide triggering rainfall scenarios from climate model outputs. The presentation of the results and the identification of sources of uncertainties in this study demonstrated a viable link between for climate change projections to provide future rainfall scenarios as inputs for physically-based shallow landslide susceptibility models.

In this research project, a physically-based (FSLAM) and four data-driven models (logistic regression, SVC, classification tree and random forest) were used to map landslide susceptibility for a case study area located in the Catalan Pyrenees. The results for all models were then compared in order to determine which performed best and under which conditions. The advantages and disadvantages of each model were also discussed as well as the limitations of their end products.

The Monasterio de Piedra Natural Park, located in Zaragoza - Spain, is classified as a National Monument and Asset of Cultural Interest, and annually receives thousands of visitors who walk its various paths and landscapes, where the Piedra River runs and crosses a huge cliff geologically shaped by limestone. The main goal of the present Thesis is the comparative study of the techniques/algorithms for the detection of detached blocks in rockfall source areas with Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS). This study was carried out with an applied approach, working with real data of several rockfall areas monitored during the past few years within research projects of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). The data processing (point clouds) was carried out through the use of advanced commercial software, which allowed the identification of 15 rock block slides with volumes from 0.01 m3 to 26 m3, predominantly volumes up to 0.10 m3. The comparison of the results obtained in the present work and those obtained by other software, show that the procedure carried out to detect displacements and / or rockfalls, presents similar and acceptable values for all the analyzed sectors, taking into account that each one uses a different algorithm, C2M and M3C2 respectively. However, the differences are presented for blocks with volumes greater than 1 m3, but these differences are also observed in the cases that the errors of the root mean square or RMS of the final records are equal to or greater than 0.020 meters.

Evidencias recientessugieren que la superficie de las praderas de Posidonia oceanicase encuentran en regresión a causa, principalmente,de actividades antrópicas, como el fondeoilegalde embarcaciones de recreo, la construcción de infraestructuras civiles o la pesca de arrastre.El objetivo del presente proyecto es el estudio y análisis de la evolución de la extensiónde las praderas de Posidonia oceanicaen los últimos años a partir de imágenes satelitales multiespectrales.Para ello, se utilizarán métodos de clasificación supervisada de imágenes obtenidas por los satélites de lamisión Sentinel, de la Agencia Espacial Europea(ESA, por su acrónimo en inglés), y de los satélites de muy alta resolución Pleiades, de Airbus. Como resultado del procesado se obtendrá una cartografía de precisión de las praderas en diferentes momentos de los últimos cinco años, lo que permitirá cuantificar la variación de la presencia dela planta marina. El análisis de los resultados tendrá dos vertientes: de la tendencia generalcon el paso de los años, y del impacto de la temporada turística de verano,fuente de la mayoría de las causasde su destrucción.Este trabajo pretende además analizar la eficacia de la teledetección como técnicapara la monitorización ambiental de hábitats marinos costeros.

Nowadays, almost no one doubts about the existence and effects of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems. Both governments and citizens seem to have accepted this fact and the obligation to propose solutions to the problem. In that way, on April 22nd, 2016, the Paris Agreement was signed. It was negotiated during the XXI Climate Change Conference (COP 21) by the 195 UN member countries. The main step adopted was the limitation on the increase in the global temperature to 1.5 °C. Global warming is largely caused by the greenhouse effect produced by the emission of gases into the atmosphere by humans. This is causing the temporal modification, radicalization or neutralization of different natural, atmospheric or climatic phenomena throughout the planet, such as the rainfall regime, the melting of polar areas or desertification (Figure 1), for example. Other causes of global warming can be found in the massive waste generation or in deforestation, whether caused by massive logging or fires.

Nowadays laser scanning is one of the most popular techniques in modern surveying, it is very useful in different work cases. Laser scanning (also known as LIDAR) uses the laser beam to determine the distance to the points, which has the ability to generate pointclouds. This enables us to create different types of mesh, depending on where it is pointing. This project aims to support with laser scanning and total station data acquisition, to different tests under development at the Structural Laboratory (UPC). This includes amont other tasks: - to design the data collection with both devices; - raw data processing (cleaning outliers, noise filtering and so on); and, finally, - the transformation of the coordinates to a common reference system in order to get the displacements of the key points in the frame along time. There are several types of laser scanning modes, depending which is the objective (Balsavias, 1999). Aerial Laser Scanning (ALS) can determine different ground surfaces from a small plane, it covers more surface than terrestrial laser scanning. Aerial laser scanning data is used for topographic and cartographic surveys and for the creation of 3D terrain models, and also 3D city models (modelling of buildings and constructions). In other words, to analyse, built up territories. Terrestial Laser Scanning (TLS) determines surfaces of single objects or small surfaces from the ground, is closer to objects than aerial laser scanning so it have more resolution and accuracy. Structural load tests are done in a laboratory to check designs and validate calculation codes. Classically, linear unit deformations are measured in a timely manner, with strain gauges, displacement transducers (LVDTs for instance) and micrometers. During the tests that are carried out at DECA Laboratory of Structures and Materials Technology (Departament d'Enginyeria Civil i Ambiental, C1 building, Campus Nord, UPC, Barcelona, Spain) on 4 stainless steel frames, the measurement with Terrestrial Laser Scanner has been tested to track the global (3D) changes during the application of progressive loads. Measurements with Total Station to several targets on the frame have been carried out also to achieve more accuracy. For this purpose, several reflective targets were placed on the steel, which had good visibility for the Total Station and for the TLS. This project is also based in inserting both data collected in the same coordinate system, which gives the possibility to compare the two data collected and find results. It is interesting to know how digital information can vary from one device to the other, laser scan generates millions of points while total station generates hundreds but with more accuracy. All these tasks aim to the exploration of the new techniques which, eventually, may lead to an improvement in the structural test performance. It is worth to say that the measuring approach developed in this TFG in a non-contact or remote technique, in contrast with the classical sensors (strain gauges, LVDTs and so on). The main objective of this project is to assess the performance and contribution of the total station and the terrestrial laser scanning during testing of steel frames. With Terrestrial Laser Scanning, the objective is to collect data before, during and after the load tests, processing the resulting data with some-pointcloud softwares in order to generate the frame displacement field. The objective with the Total Station is to determine the initial state of the steel frames, highlighting their geometrical irregularities (if any). The frame final state is measured as well. The expected net results for each load tests are 8 to 10 3D models of each frame (TLS), corresponding to different times. On the other hand, by means of the Total Station we will get an accurate frame geometry at the beginning and at the end of each test (20-30 select points for each steel frame). As previously stated, all these results will help in identifying any possible geometrical irregularity in the shape and surface of the steel beam: initial defects produced during the frame manufacturing, and/or dents or sags resulting from the loading tests itself. As secondary objectives, this project wants to show the contribution of the non-contact, masive and remote geomatics techniques to complement traditional systems (Total Station) in this type of testing and environment (small scale testing of structures), working out the achievable resolutions and precisions. Additionally, the integration of total station and terrestrial laser scanning results in the same coordinate system is envisaged; the behaviour of the targets for this purpose will be assessed.

Aquest treball analitza la erosió del sòl mitjançant l?equació universal de pèrdua de sols revisada (RUSLE). RUSLE es un model molt utilitzat per calcular la erosió del sòl a escala regional i necessita diferents paràmetres d?entrada que es pot determinar amb dades del terreny (elevació, geologia, cobertura de sòl etc.) i tècniques de SIG. A mes a mes, es realitzarà un treball de camp per verificar i millorar aquests dades d?entrada.

El efecto del cambio climático sobre procesos de perdida de suelo en zona montañosa representa una problemática actual. En este trabajo, se abordará ese tema mediante el análisis de la estabilidad de diferentes taludes tipos sometidos a acciones climáticas provenientes de escenarios de cambio climático.

La erosión y perdida de suelo es un fenómeno con consecuencias importantes. En este trabajo se estudia la erosión en un terraplén experimental mediante la aplicación de tecnología escáner láser terrestre (TLS). Se realizará la comparación de los diferentes modelos digitales de elevación (MDE) para cuantificar la perdida de suelo. Se compara la erosión calculada mediante TLS con el volumen del sedimento erosionado que se ha medido en el terraplén. Finalmente, se aplicará unos modelos simples para comparar todos los resultados

Este proyecto tiene como objetivo la realización y análisis de un estudio sobre la evolución de dos glaciares a lo largo de un periodo de tiempo concreto a partir del análisis de diversas imágenes Landsat. Los glaciares que se han estudiado se sitúan en el hemisferio sur, en la zona sureste de Perú y en el hemisferio norte, concretamente en la zona de los Alpes suizos. Mediante la utilización de diferentes técnicas de Teledetección que incluyen el uso de índices específicos para el estudio de glaciares y ratios espectrales, se ha podido realizar un procesamiento y análisis de imágenes que nos permiten cuantificar el área que ocupa la masa de cada uno de los glaciares estudiados. Cada técnica utilizada tiene sus limitaciones por tanto, se ha optado por realizar el mismo procedimiento en ambos glaciares comentados, situados en zonas geográficamente alejadas y finalmente se ha realizado una media de los resultados obtenidos. Con estos resultados se ha podido entender mejor la tendencia que han ido teniendo estos glaciares, lo que nos proporciona una idea sobre el impacto que está teniendo el cambio climático.

Given the strong environmental impact of fires each year, a study of the Òdena fire that occurred last July 27, 2015 using remote sensing was carried out in order to quantify and measure the severity and the area burned. The methods used by remote sensing and comparing them with the reality observed during the fire itself, before this occurred and analyzing the area at present, seeing the forest recovery.

This project consists on the study of the municipality of Zhengzhou in China by analyzing remote sensed images taken between the years 2000 to 2017. These images taken annually are studied to detect the zones where the city it develops in the last two decades. The city it has been chosen due to its incredible upgrowth since 1985, like other Chinese cities their evolution began with the new socioeconomics politics of the country. While on 1985 the population was a million on the city and two million on the municipality, by 2015 that number evolved to ten million people. The remote sensing techniques applied to urban environments let us to see the growing tendencies of the cities, taking a perspective which is difficult to take on studies with big extensions like this. Besides, remote sensing allows us to identify the growing points, the population distribution or even predict the future growing.

En el presente proyecto se pretende estudiar el fenómeno de isla de calor, este fenómeno es debido a la acumulación de calor por la amplia cantidad de superficies artificiales, estando estas compuestas por material es absorbentes de calor, y por procesos antropogénicos (coches, calefacción, aire acondicionado, etc.). También se produce por la falta de suelos cubiertos de vegetación. Se han obtenido mapas de temperatura realizando diferentes procesos enlazados utilizando el software libre QGIS, que han permitido poder obtener la temperatura en la superficie. Para ello se ha utilizado la informació n de la banda térmica del satélite Landsat, esta presenta la distribución espacial de la temperatura del suelo. Como método de comprobación se ha accedido a los datos de diferentes estaciones meteorológicas ubicadas en las zonas de estudio, obteniendo los valores de temperatura y comparando estos valores con los obtenidos en los mapas de temperatura. Dicha comprobación ha sido satisfactoria ya que la diferencia máxima entre ambas ha sido de 6°C aproximadamente para la estación meteorológica del Aeropuerto internacional de San Francisco. El análisis se ha llevado a cabo sobre tres zonas de estudio distintas, Nueva York y San Francisco en EEUU y la ciudad de México, en un periodo de tiempo de 32 años, iniciándolo en el año 1984 y finalizando en el año 2016. La elección de estas ciudades ha sido distinta en cada una de ellas. La ciudad de Nueva York se ha seleccionado por su clima, ya que tiene temperaturas extremas en verano e invierno. En el caso de la ciudad de México ha influenciado el hecho de sus núcleos excesivamente urbanizados y su amplio gradiente térmico entre el día y la noche causado por su altitud. Por otro lado la ciudad de San Francisco, a diferencia de la s otras dos ciudades, tiene un clima más estandarizado por lo que también es interesante poder realizar dicho estudio.