• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.38 no.5_1
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• pp.497-510
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• 2022

Agricultural reservoirs are essential structures for water supplies during dry period in the Korean peninsula, where water resources are temporally unequally distributed. For efficient water management, systematic and effective monitoring of medium-small reservoirs is required. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) provides a way for continuous monitoring of those, with its capability of all-weather observation. This study aims to evaluate the applicability of SAR in monitoring medium-small reservoirs using Sentinel-1 (10 m resolution) and Capella X-SAR (1 m resolution), at Chari (CR), Galjeon (GJ), Dwitgol (DG) reservoirs located in Ulsan, Korea. Water detected results applying Z fuzzy function-based threshold (Z-thresh) and Chan-vese (CV), an object detection-based segmentation algorithm, are quantitatively evaluated using UAV-detected water boundary (UWB). Accuracy metrics from Z-thresh were 0.87, 0.89, 0.77 (at CR, GJ, DG, respectively) using Sentinel-1 and 0.78, 0.72, 0.81 using Capella, and improvements were observed when CV was applied (Sentinel-1: 0.94, 0.89, 0.84, Capella: 0.92, 0.89, 0.93). Boundaries of the waterbody detected from Capella agreed relatively well with UWB; however, false- and un-detections occurred from speckle noises, due to its high resolution. When masked with optical sensor-based supplementary images, improvements up to 13% were observed. More effective water resource management is expected to be possible with continuous monitoring of available water quantity, when more accurate and precise SAR-based water detection technique is developed.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.449-461
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• 2021

Analysis Ready Data (ARD) for optical satellite images represents a pre-processed product by applying spectral characteristics and viewing parameters for each sensor. The atmospheric correction is one of the fundamental and complicated topics, which helps to produce Top-of-Atmosphere (TOA) and Top-of-Canopy (TOC) reflectance from multi-spectral image sets. Most remote sensing software provides algorithms or processing schemes dedicated to those corrections of the Landsat-8 OLI sensors. Furthermore, Google Earth Engine (GEE), provides direct access to Landsat reflectance products, USGS-based ARD (USGS-ARD), on the cloud environment. We implemented the Orfeo ToolBox (OTB) atmospheric correction extension, an open-source remote sensing software for manipulating and analyzing high-resolution satellite images. This is the first tool because OTB has not provided calibration modules for any Landsat sensors. Using this extension software, we conducted the absolute atmospheric correction on the Landsat-8 OLI images of Railroad Valley, United States (RVUS) to validate their reflectance products using reflectance data sets of RVUS in the RadCalNet portal. The results showed that the reflectance products using the OTB extension for Landsat revealed a difference by less than 5% compared to RadCalNet RVUS data. In addition, we performed a comparative analysis with reflectance products obtained from other open-source tools such as a QGIS semi-automatic classification plugin and SAGA, besides USGS-ARD products. The reflectance products by the OTB extension showed a high consistency to those of USGS-ARD within the acceptable level in the measurement data range of the RadCalNet RVUS, compared to those of the other two open-source tools. In this study, the verification of the atmospheric calibration processor in OTB extension was carried out, and it proved the application possibility for other satellite sensors in the Compact Advanced Satellite (CAS)-500 or new optical satellites.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.393-404
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• 2022

Reliable terrestrial rainfall observations from satellites at finer spatial resolution are essential for urban hydrological and microscale agricultural demands. Although various traditional "top-down" approach-based satellite rainfall products were widely used, they are limited in spatial resolution. This study aims to assess the potential of a novel "bottom-up" approach for rainfall estimation, the parameterized SM2RAIN model, applied to the C-band SAR Sentinel-1 satellite data (SM2RAIN-S1), to generate high-spatial-resolution terrestrial rainfall estimates (0.01° grid/6-day) over Central South Korea. Its performance was evaluated for both spatial and temporal variability using the respective rainfall data from a conventional reanalysis product and rain gauge network for a 1-year period over two different sub-regions in Central South Korea-the mixed forest-dominated, middle sub-region and cropland-dominated, west coast sub-region. Evaluation results indicated that the SM2RAIN-S1 product can capture general rainfall patterns in Central South Korea, and hold potential for high-spatial-resolution rainfall measurement over the local scale with different land covers, while less biased rainfall estimates against rain gauge observations were provided. Moreover, the SM2RAIN-S1 rainfall product was better in mixed forests considering the Pearson's correlation coefficient (R = 0.69), implying the suitability of 6-day SM2RAIN-S1 data in capturing the temporal dynamics of soil moisture and rainfall in mixed forests. However, in terms of RMSE and Bias, better performance was obtained with the SM2RAIN-S1 rainfall product over croplands rather than mixed forests, indicating that larger errors induced by high evapotranspiration losses (especially in mixed forests) need to be included in further improvement of the SM2RAIN.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.623-634
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• 2022

Due to river maintenance projects such as the creation of hydrophilic areas around rivers and the Four Rivers Project, the flow characteristics of rivers are continuously changing, and the risk of water quality accidents due to the inflow of various pollutants is increasing. In the event of a water quality accident, it is necessary to minimize the effect on the downstream side by predicting the concentration and arrival time of pollutants in consideration of the flow characteristics of the river. In order to track the behavior of these pollutants, it is necessary to calculate the diffusion coefficient and dispersion coefficient for each section of the river. Among them, the dispersion coefficient is used to analyze the diffusion range of soluble pollutants. Existing experimental research cases for tracking the behavior of pollutants require a lot of manpower and cost, and it is difficult to obtain spatially high-resolution data due to limited equipment operation. Recently, research on tracking contaminants using RGB drones has been conducted, but RGB images also have a limitation in that spectral information is limitedly collected. In this study, to supplement the limitations of existing studies, a hyperspectral sensor was mounted on a remote sensing platform using a drone to collect temporally and spatially higher-resolution data than conventional contact measurement. Using the collected spatio-temporal hyperspectral images, the tracer concentration was calculated and the transverse dispersion coefficient was derived. It is expected that by overcoming the limitations of the drone platform through future research and upgrading the dispersion coefficient calculation technology, it will be possible to detect various pollutants leaking into the water system, and to detect changes in various water quality items and river factors.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.551-561
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• 2022

Geophysical exploration methods are very useful for generating high-resolution images of underground structures, and such methods can be applied to investigation of buried cultural properties and for determining their exact locations. In this study, image feature extraction and image segmentation methods were applied to automatically distinguish the structures of buried relics from the high-resolution ground-penetrating radar (GPR) images obtained at the center of Silla Kingdom, Gyeongju, South Korea. The major purpose for image feature extraction analyses is identifying the circular features from building remains and the linear features from ancient roads and fences. Feature extraction is implemented by applying the Canny edge detection and Hough transform algorithms. We applied the Hough transforms to the edge image resulted from the Canny algorithm in order to determine the locations the target features. However, the Hough transform requires different parameter settings for each survey sector. As for image segmentation, we applied the connected element labeling algorithm and object-based image analysis using Orfeo Toolbox (OTB) in QGIS. The connected components labeled image shows the signals associated with the target buried relics are effectively connected and labeled. However, we often find multiple labels are assigned to a single structure on the given GPR data. Object-based image analysis was conducted by using a Large-Scale Mean-Shift (LSMS) image segmentation. In this analysis, a vector layer containing pixel values for each segmented polygon was estimated first and then used to build a train-validation dataset by assigning the polygons to one class associated with the buried relics and another class for the background field. With the Random Forest Classifier, we find that the polygons on the LSMS image segmentation layer can be successfully classified into the polygons of the buried relics and those of the background. Thus, we propose that these automatic classification methods applied to the GPR images of buried cultural heritage in this study can be useful to obtain consistent analyses results for planning excavation processes.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.601-610
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• 2022

P. tenebrifer (PT) belongs to the Diptera order and Stratiomyidae family. Recently, insect industry have been focused as food, animal feed and environmental advantages. γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and melatonin have been associated with regulating sleep and depression. GABA is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter and is synthesized via biotransformation of monosodium glutamate (MSG) to GABA by lactic acid bacteria. In this study, we first used a GABA-enhanced PT extract, wherein GABA was enhanced by feeding MSG to PT. The underlying mechanisms preventing stress and insomnia were investigated in a corticosterone (CORT)-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and chronic restraint stress (CRS)-exposed mouse model, as well as in pentobarbital (45 mg/kg)-induced sleep behaviors in mice. In the present study, the GABA peak was detected in high-performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-ELSD) analysis and showed in Ptecticus tenebrifer water extract (PTW) but not in non-PTW extract. The results showed that PTW and Ptecticus tenebrifer with 70% ethanol extract (PTE) exerted neuroprotective effects by protecting against CORT-induced downregulation of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) expression. In addition, PTW (300 mg/kg) significantly reduced CORT levels in CRS-exposed mice. Furthermore, PTW (100 and 300 mg/kg) significantly reduced sleep latency and increased total sleep duration in pentobarbital (45 mg/kg)-induced sleeping behaviors, which was related to serum melatonin levels. In conclusion, our results suggest that PTW exerts anti-stress and sleep-enhancing effects by regulating serum CORT and melatonin levels.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.18-30
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• 2023

Submarine mud volcanos are topographic features that resemble volcanoes, and are formed due to eruptions of fluidized or gasified sediment material. They have gained attention as a source of subsurface heat, sediment, or hydrocarbons supplied to the surface. In the continental slope of the Canadian Beaufort Sea, mud volcano exists at various water depths. The MV420, is an active mud volcano erupting at a water depth of 420 meters, and it has been the subject of extensive study. The Korea Polar Research Institute(KOPRI) collected high-resolution seismic data and heat flow data around the caldera of the mud volcano. By analyzing the multi-channel seismic data, we confirmed the reverse-polarity reflector assumed by a gas hydrate-related bottom simulating reflector(BSR). To further elucidate the relationship between the BSR and gas hydrates, as well as the thermal structure of the mud volcano, a numerical geothermal model was developed based on the steady-state heat equation. Using this model, we estimated the base of the gas hydrate stability zone and found that the BSR depth estimated by multi-channel seismic data and the bottom of the gas hydrate stability zone were in good agreement., This suggests the presence of gas hydrates, and it was determined that the depth of the gas hydrate was likely up to 50 m, depending on the distance from the mud conduit. Thus, this depth estimate slightly differs from previous studies.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.195-210
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• 2023

Additional deposition and erosion in large rivers in South Korea have continued to occur toward morphological stabilization after massive dredging through the four major river restoration project, subsequently requiring precise bathymetry monitoring. Hyperspectral bathymetry method has increasingly been highlighted as an alternative way to estimate bathymetry with high spatial resolution in shallow depth for replacing classical intrusive direct measurement techniques. This study introduced the conventional Optimal Band Ratio Analysis (OBRA) of hyperspectral bathymetry method, and evaluated the performance in a domestic large river in normal turbid and flow condition. Maximum measurable depth was estimated by applying correlation coefficient and root mean square error (RMSE) produced during OBRA with cascadedly applying cut-off depth, where the consequent hyperspectral bathymetry map excluded the region over the derived maximum measurable depth. Also non-linearity was considered in building relation between optimal band and depth. We applied the method to the Nakdong and Hwang River confluence as a large river case and obtained the following features. First, the hyperspectal method showed acceptable performance in morphological mapping for shallow regions, where the maximum measurable depth was 2.5 m and 1.25 m in the Nakdong and Hwang river, respectively. Second, RMSE was more feasible to derive the maximum measurable depth rather than the conventional correlation coefficient whereby considering various scenario of excluding range of in situ depths for OBRA. Third, highly turbid region in Hwang River did not allow hyperspectral bathymetry mapping compared with the case of adjacent Nakdong River, where maximum measurable depth was down to half in Hwang River.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.526-535
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• 2021

Spatial sampling design plays an important role in GIS-based modeling studies because it increases modeling efficiency while reducing the cost of sampling. In the field of agricultural systems, research demand for high-resolution spatial databased modeling to predict and evaluate climate change impacts is growing rapidly. Accordingly, the need and importance of spatial sampling design are increasing. The purpose of this study was to design spatial sampling of paddy fields (11,386 grids with 1 km spatial resolution) in Korea for use in agricultural spatial modeling. A stratified random sampling design was developed and applied in 2030s, 2050s, and 2080s under two RCP scenarios of 4.5 and 8.5. Twenty-five weather and four soil characteristics were used as stratification variables. Stratification and sample allocation were optimized to ensure minimum sample size under given precision constraints for 16 target variables such as crop yield, greenhouse gas emission, and pest distribution. Precision and accuracy of the sampling were evaluated through sampling simulations based on coefficient of variation (CV) and relative bias, respectively. As a result, the paddy field could be optimized in the range of 5 to 21 strata and 46 to 69 samples. Evaluation results showed that target variables were within precision constraints (CV<0.05 except for crop yield) with low bias values (below 3%). These results can contribute to reducing sampling cost and computation time while having high predictive power. It is expected to be widely used as a representative sample grid in various agriculture spatial modeling studies.

• Journal of Cadastre & Land InformatiX
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.171-187
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• 2022

Recently, the demand and development for non-face-to-face services are rapidly progressing due to the pandemic caused by the COVID-19, and attention is focused on the metaverse at the center. Entering the era of the 4th industrial revolution, Metaverse, which means a world beyond virtual and reality, combines various sensing technologies and 3D reconstruction technologies to provide various information and services to users easily and quickly. In particular, due to the miniaturization and economic increase of convergence sensors such as unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV) capable of high-resolution imaging and high-precision LiDAR(Light Detection and Ranging) sensors, research on digital-Twin is actively underway to create and simulate real-life twins. In addition, Game engines in the field of computer graphics are developing into metaverse engines by expanding strong 3D graphics reconstuction and simulation based on dynamic operations. This study constructed a mirror-world type metaverse that reflects real-world coordinate-based reality using Unreal Engine 5, a recently announced metaverse engine, with accurate 3D spatial information data of convergence sensors based on unmanned aerial system(UAS) and LiDAR. and then, spatial information contents and simulations for users were produced based on various public data to verify the accuracy of reconstruction, and through this, it was possible to confirm the construction of a more realistic and highly utilizable metaverse. In addition, when constructing a metaverse that users can intuitively and easily access through the unreal engine, various contents utilization and effectiveness could be confirmed through coordinate-based 3D spatial information with high reproducibility.