Multi-scale line detection for landslide fissure mapping

Surface fissures are important indicators for slope instability and their patterns reveal information about the distribution of strain and mechanical processes. The increasing availability of sub-decimeter resolution aerial images may enable the detection and mapping of such features with imagery. This study combines Gaussian matched filters and first order derivates in a multi-scale framework to address the semi-automatic detection of surface cracks with variable sizes. The accuracy of the detector was assessed with two expert mappings and compared to a corresponding single scale approach.