GlacioTools: Streamlining Glacier Feature Monitoring and Reporting in QGIS
Mountain glaciers are highly sensitive to climate change, having lost nearly half their surface area and two-thirds of their volume in the European Alps since 1850. Recent advances in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and aerial imagery, combined with traditional in-situ Ground Control Points (GCPs) m...
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| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2025-07-01
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| Series: | The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://isprs-archives.copernicus.org/articles/XLVIII-G-2025/439/2025/isprs-archives-XLVIII-G-2025-439-2025.pdf |
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| author | S. Fajardo Turner F. Gaspari F. Migliaccio |
| author_facet | S. Fajardo Turner F. Gaspari F. Migliaccio |
| author_sort | S. Fajardo Turner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mountain glaciers are highly sensitive to climate change, having lost nearly half their surface area and two-thirds of their volume in the European Alps since 1850. Recent advances in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and aerial imagery, combined with traditional in-situ Ground Control Points (GCPs) measurements, have enabled repeated data collection for glacier monitoring. However, analyzing and visualizing glacier changes remains a time-consuming process in Geographic Information System (GIS) environments. <br />QGIS, an open-source GIS, supports custom plugins that automate routine tasks, improving accessibility and collaboration in climate research. Existing plugins facilitate environmental monitoring, hydrology, and remote sensing applications, streamlining spatial analysis without requiring programming expertise. Despite these tools, an integrated, user-friendly solution for glacier monitoring is still lacking. In this paper the GlacioTools QGIS plugin is presented. It is designed to simplify geospatial data processing for glacier studies. It automates in-situ survey reporting, generates surface displacement and velocity maps, and organizes GCP documentation within a single workflow. By enhancing efficiency and accessibility, GlacioTools supports researchers in documenting and analyzing glacier evolution more effectively. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d5066d88e8b543e4a6891553db7666d7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1682-1750 2194-9034 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-d5066d88e8b543e4a6891553db7666d72025-08-20T03:58:41ZengCopernicus PublicationsThe International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences1682-17502194-90342025-07-01XLVIII-G-202543944410.5194/isprs-archives-XLVIII-G-2025-439-2025GlacioTools: Streamlining Glacier Feature Monitoring and Reporting in QGISS. Fajardo Turner0F. Gaspari1F. Migliaccio2Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DICA), Politecnico di Milano, Milan, ItalyDept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DICA), Politecnico di Milano, Milan, ItalyDept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DICA), Politecnico di Milano, Milan, ItalyMountain glaciers are highly sensitive to climate change, having lost nearly half their surface area and two-thirds of their volume in the European Alps since 1850. Recent advances in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and aerial imagery, combined with traditional in-situ Ground Control Points (GCPs) measurements, have enabled repeated data collection for glacier monitoring. However, analyzing and visualizing glacier changes remains a time-consuming process in Geographic Information System (GIS) environments. <br />QGIS, an open-source GIS, supports custom plugins that automate routine tasks, improving accessibility and collaboration in climate research. Existing plugins facilitate environmental monitoring, hydrology, and remote sensing applications, streamlining spatial analysis without requiring programming expertise. Despite these tools, an integrated, user-friendly solution for glacier monitoring is still lacking. In this paper the GlacioTools QGIS plugin is presented. It is designed to simplify geospatial data processing for glacier studies. It automates in-situ survey reporting, generates surface displacement and velocity maps, and organizes GCP documentation within a single workflow. By enhancing efficiency and accessibility, GlacioTools supports researchers in documenting and analyzing glacier evolution more effectively.https://isprs-archives.copernicus.org/articles/XLVIII-G-2025/439/2025/isprs-archives-XLVIII-G-2025-439-2025.pdf |
| spellingShingle | S. Fajardo Turner F. Gaspari F. Migliaccio GlacioTools: Streamlining Glacier Feature Monitoring and Reporting in QGIS The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences |
| title | GlacioTools: Streamlining Glacier Feature Monitoring and Reporting in QGIS |
| title_full | GlacioTools: Streamlining Glacier Feature Monitoring and Reporting in QGIS |
| title_fullStr | GlacioTools: Streamlining Glacier Feature Monitoring and Reporting in QGIS |
| title_full_unstemmed | GlacioTools: Streamlining Glacier Feature Monitoring and Reporting in QGIS |
| title_short | GlacioTools: Streamlining Glacier Feature Monitoring and Reporting in QGIS |
| title_sort | glaciotools streamlining glacier feature monitoring and reporting in qgis |
| url | https://isprs-archives.copernicus.org/articles/XLVIII-G-2025/439/2025/isprs-archives-XLVIII-G-2025-439-2025.pdf |
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