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Volume 11
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10.3390/geosciences11020075
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Article

MATLAB Virtual Toolbox for Retrospective Rockfall Source Detection and Volume Estimation Using 3D Point Clouds: A Case Study of a Subalpine Molasse Cliff

by
Dario Carrea
1,*,
Antonio Abellan
2,
Marc-Henri Derron
1,
Neal Gauvin
1 and
Michel Jaboyedoff
1
1
Institute of Earth Sciences, Risk Analysis Group, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
2
CREALP–Centre de Recherche sur L’environnement Alpin, 1950 Sion, Switzerland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Geosciences 2021, 11(2), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11020075
Submission received: 18 December 2020 / Revised: 26 January 2021 / Accepted: 4 February 2021 / Published: 9 February 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rock Fall Hazard and Risk Assessment)
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Abstract

The use of 3D point clouds to improve the understanding of natural phenomena is currently applied in natural hazard investigations, including the quantification of rockfall activity. However, 3D point cloud treatment is typically accomplished using nondedicated (and not optimal) software. To fill this gap, we present an open-source, specific rockfall package in an object-oriented toolbox developed in the MATLAB® environment. The proposed package offers a complete and semiautomatic 3D solution that spans from extraction to identification and volume estimations of rockfall sources using state-of-the-art methods and newly implemented algorithms. To illustrate the capabilities of this package, we acquired a series of high-quality point clouds in a pilot study area referred to as the La Cornalle cliff (West Switzerland), obtained robust volume estimations at different volumetric scales, and derived rockfall magnitude–frequency distributions, which assisted in the assessment of rockfall activity and long-term erosion rates. An outcome of the case study shows the influence of the volume computation on the magnitude–frequency distribution and ensuing erosion process interpretation.
Keywords: 3D point cloud; free code; toolbox; rockfalls; identification; quantification; volume 3D point cloud; free code; toolbox; rockfalls; identification; quantification; volume

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MDPI and ACS Style

Carrea, D.; Abellan, A.; Derron, M.-H.; Gauvin, N.; Jaboyedoff, M. MATLAB Virtual Toolbox for Retrospective Rockfall Source Detection and Volume Estimation Using 3D Point Clouds: A Case Study of a Subalpine Molasse Cliff. Geosciences 2021, 11, 75. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11020075

AMA Style

Carrea D, Abellan A, Derron M-H, Gauvin N, Jaboyedoff M. MATLAB Virtual Toolbox for Retrospective Rockfall Source Detection and Volume Estimation Using 3D Point Clouds: A Case Study of a Subalpine Molasse Cliff. Geosciences. 2021; 11(2):75. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11020075

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carrea, Dario, Antonio Abellan, Marc-Henri Derron, Neal Gauvin, and Michel Jaboyedoff. 2021. "MATLAB Virtual Toolbox for Retrospective Rockfall Source Detection and Volume Estimation Using 3D Point Clouds: A Case Study of a Subalpine Molasse Cliff" Geosciences 11, no. 2: 75. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11020075

APA Style

Carrea, D., Abellan, A., Derron, M.-H., Gauvin, N., & Jaboyedoff, M. (2021). MATLAB Virtual Toolbox for Retrospective Rockfall Source Detection and Volume Estimation Using 3D Point Clouds: A Case Study of a Subalpine Molasse Cliff. Geosciences, 11(2), 75. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11020075

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