An application of digital roof model (DRM) for height measurement of trees

Three dimensional data of forest structure provided by measurement of tree height fulfils an important role to nurture the forest and to conserve its environment. The authors have advanced the investigation of three-dimensional information of a city area by using high resolution satellite images. This image succeeds in providing three-dimensional descriptions of building roofs in the city area by the digital roof model (DRM). DRM is the half side of twin data expressing the ground surface and the tree canopy surface. The ground data are expressed by the digital terrain model (DTM). Measuring the coordinates of corresponding same points on a pair of the high resolution satellite image observed from different orbits, the DRM of forest, i.e. the canopy surface height can be made. Choosing trees in a city park experimentally, a DRM was generated. The shape of the canopy surface accords with the height of the trees obtained by ground surveying.