Soil Surface Profile Computation Using Portable Profile Meter with Image Processing and Tracking Technique

Abstract

New measurement method for soil surface profile has been described in this study. This method includes new designed soil profile meter, digital imaging equipment and image tracking & analysis software. Using such modified soil profile meter can help to observe and measure changes occur in irrigation channels, small ditches and to quantify changes at specific cross sections within soil furrows. By using image processing and tracking system we can trace marked points in fixed level of meter pins, these points have vertical displacements and vary according to existing profiles and cross-sectional shape in different locations, which give us ability to record presented form of different profiles. The modified profile meter used to measure and track changes in different profiles; two types of ditches and two types of furrow. The recorded profiles heights for different locations gave us perspicuous knowledge about the geometry of furrows and ditches shapes before and after seasonal irrigation process. The differences in measurements for same locations and sites have been noted. Designed soil profile meter successfully demonstrated changes in profiles pattern due to surface irrigation erosion in term of height variations, for shallow and wide ditches, the differences in measured heights by soil profile meter after and before the irrigation generally ranged from 0 to 11 mm, while in deep ditches, differences in heights ranged from 0 to 44 mm. With ridge profiles, soil profile meter tracked variation in measured heights from 0 to 13.88 %, also, high percentage of variation obtained by studying flat top bed furrow changes, the largest percentage was 17.1 % at beginning of the furrow line. This clarifies the ability to track and record erosion effect in different furrows and ditches by using soil profile meter as a part of used image processing and tracking system.