Georeferencing of Scanned Aerial

Imagery and Change Detection

GISC9231 D3
Taylor J Dilliott, BA
19 December 2017

1-109 Sanford Ave South, Hamilton, ON L8M 2G7

E: Taylor.J.Dilliott@gmail.com M: (289) 969-1847
Taylor J Dilliott, BA
1-109 Sanford Ave South, Hamilton, ON L8M
2G7
E: Taylor.J.Dilliott@gmail.com M: (289) 969-
1847

December 19, 2017

Ms. Janet Finlay

Instructor
Niagara College, Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus
135 Taylor Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, L0S 1J0

Dear Ms. Finlay

RE: GISC9321 D3- Georeferencing and Change Detection Analysis

Please accept this email as my formal letter of transmittal for GISC9321 D3-
Georeferencing and Change Detection Analysis as per the terms of reference.

This assignment was an excellent learning opportunity, especially since my field uses a
lot of old aerial photos being able to properly georeferenced them is a valuable skill to
have. The change detection analysis was also enjoyable as it provided an opportunity to
use skills learned on previous assignments and apply them in new ways.

Sincerely,

Taylor J. Dilliott, BA
GIS-GM Certificate Candidate

TJD\

Enclosures: GISC9321 D3 Report

 GISC 9301- D3
ArcGIS Major Assignment December 19, 2017

Table of Conten
Abstract...............................................................................................................................i
Table of Figures...................................................................................................................ii
1.0 Introduction..................................................................................................................1
2.0 Background..................................................................................................................1
3.0 Goal..............................................................................................................................1
4.0 Methodology................................................................................................................1
4.1 Questions..................................................................................................................2
1934 Aerial Images (A4873_19, A4873_20 and A4873_21).........................................2
1921 Aerial Images (H20-1, H20-2, H22-25, H22-91)..................................................3
2003 Satellite Imagery (IKONOS Multispectral Imagery).............................................4
Change Detection........................................................................................................4
5.0 Summary......................................................................................................................9
Bibliography.......................................................................................................................9

Table of FiguresY
Figure 1: Using Georeferencing Tools to Rectify the Aerial Photos With the Satellite
Imagery..............................................................................................................................2
Figure 2: 1934 Rectified Aerial Photos over 2003 Satellite Imagery..................................7
Figure 3: Rectified 1921 Aerial Photos over 2003 Satellite Imagery..................................8

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1.0 Introduction
The Welland Canals are an important landmark in the Niagara Region that provide both
historical value as an attraction and economic value as a major shipping route. Using
aerial photos from 1921, 1934 and satellite imagery from 2003, a change detection
analysis of the 3rd and 4th Welland Canals will occur. Rectified maps of the area will be
provided as reference and the findings will be discussed in the following report.

2.0 Background
The Georeferencing and Change Detection Assignment will focus on the development of
the Welland Canals in 1921, 1934 and 2003. This assignment was undertaken using
Esri’s ArcGIS software and aerial photos provided by the Niagara College GIS program.
The photos are georeferenced and then a change detection analysis will occur.

The first Welland Canal was finished being constructed in 1829, with subsequent
versions of the canals being built in 1853, 1887 and finally 1932, the last of which is still
in use today and provides easy access between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario for both
shipping routes and personal watercraft. [ CITATION StC17 \l 1033 ]

Located on a man made island in along the canal is a plot of land that was once owned
by Reverend Thomas Fuller, who intended to subdivide the land for housing
development, which never occurred[ CITATION StC17 \l 1033 ]. This Fuller Plan is the
focus area for the change detection analysis that will be completed as part of this
project.

3.0 Goal
The primary goal of this project is to gain a practical understanding of how to properly
georeferenced images within ArcGIS and to have a basic familiarity with the undertaking
and reporting of change detection analysis [ CITATION JanF17 \l 1033 ]

4.0 Methodology
In order to properly rectify the aerial photos from both 1921 and 1934 with the 2003
IKONOS satellite imagery, the first step was to bring the IKONOS imagery into ArcMap.
As it had been previously rectified by Space Imaging Inc., the only thing that needed to
be adjusted was the display Bands, as it was originally very bright blue. Once the bands
were properly adjusted the georeferencing of the 1921 and 1934 images could occur.
For both sets of images they were introduced into ArcMap one at a time and adjusted
using the Georeferencing toolbar as seen in Figure 1. To properly georeferenced the

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 GISC 9301- D3
ArcGIS Major Assignment December 19, 2017

images, permanent points preset in the original image and the 2003 satellite image
were used. This included intersections, bridges, major landforms and the canals
themselves. The final georeferenced images area displayed as maps in Appendix A.

Figure 1: Using Georeferencing Tools to Rectify the Aerial Photos With the Satellite Imagery

4.1 Questions
1934 Aerial Images (A4873_19, A4873_20 and A4873_21)
A. What was the operational status of each of the canals in 1934? Why do you draw
this conclusion? (4 marks)

Based on the aerial images by 1934 the 3rd Welland Canal (to the east and crossing
over) was no longer operational while the 4th and current Welland Canal was fully
operational. This can be concluded by comparing the 1921 photo H22_25.tif to the 1934
photos A4873_21.tif and A4873_20.tif where in the 1921 photo the 3 rd canal is full of
water, by the time the 1934 aerial images were taken the 3rd canal appears to have
begun getting filled in. This can be verified by reading the Terms of Reference, where it
is mentioned the 4th Canal opened in 1932 [ CITATION JanF17 \l 1033 ]

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ArcGIS Major Assignment December 19, 2017

B. Referring to A4873-20 Welland Canals 1934 (JPEG), what is the wedge shaped
formation at location A? What are the striations? (6 marks)

The wedge shaped formation at location A in the photo appears to be ramps or

pathways caused by dragging the debris from the creation of the 4 th Welland Canal. The
striations are possibly gouges in the ground from the removal of boulders/rocks with
heavy equipment. This was concluded from the fact that the striations seem to originate
in one corner of the wedge and spread out towards the road and railway.

C. Again, referring to A4873-20 Welland Canals 1934 (JPEG), what is the linear
feature at location B? What was its status in 1934 (was it actively being used)?
What is your evidence? (4 marks)

The linear feature at location B in the photo is the railway tunnel that passes
underneath the 3rd Canal, also known as the Blue Ghost Tunnel [ CITATION JanF17 \l
1033 ]. By the time the photo was taken in 1934 it would appear that the tunnel and rail
line running to it had been replaced by the larger main line to the north, and the bridge
located to the west. Since the 3rd canal was in the process of being filled in by then, the
tunnel was no longer needed.

D. Again, referring to A4873-20 Welland Canals 1934 (JPEG), why do you suppose
the pond at C existed? Support your hypothesis thoroughly. (2 marks)

The pond at location C could have been created in order to get material to help fill in the
3rd canal after the 4th was finalized. The pond does not exist in the photos from 1921,
which would indicate it was dug between then, and the only major construction project
in the area would have been canals. In the 1921 photos the area where the pond will be
does appear to be a clearing rather than woodland, which would have made excavation
easier.

E. Again, referring to A4873-20 Welland Canals 1934 (JPEG), what is area E? Justify
your hypothesis. (2 marks)

Area E from the 1934 photos appears to be a series of fields. This can be determined by
the parallel linear features present within several of the “blocks” located within E. This
area also bears a strong resemblance to the fields located further east of the 3 rd canal in
the photos from both 1934 and 1921.

1921 Aerial Images (H20-1, H20-2, H22-25, H22-91)

a) What was the operational status of each of the canals in 1921? Why do you
draw this conclusion? (5 marks)

In 1921 the 3rd Welland Canal looks as though it would have been active. This is based
on the fact that the waterways and reservoirs have yet to be filled in at all. More
importantly, the 4th Canal is still very clearly under construction and not yet operation,
meaning the 3rd canal had to still be active for the time being. This can be concluded by
the multiple pathways leading away from the canal from the construction equipment
and debris removal and the very clear lack of water in the canal. This was verified by
looking at the brief history of the canals provided on
http://www.niagarawellandcanal.com/.

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 GISC 9301- D3
ArcGIS Major Assignment December 19, 2017

2003 Satellite Imagery (IKONOS Multispectral Imagery)

b) What was the operational status of each of the canals in 2003? Why do you
draw this conclusion? (5 marks)

By the year 2003 the 3rd Welland Canal had been nearly completely filled in, with only a
minor waterway remaining and it seems to be a dead end, not connecting back with the
existing canal. The 4th Welland Canal is definitely active, as evidenced by the presence
of large ships within the canal and locks, and the fact that it is still active today.

Change Detection
c) Figure 1 above as well as H22-25 Welland Canal Locks 1921 (JPEG) and H22-
91 Welland Canal Locks 1921 (JPEG) show the lock numbering system in 1921
for the 3rd canal. Create a table that shows how locks 11 through 24 are/are-
not visible to our remote sensing platforms in 1934 and 2003. For each year,
note whether the lock is visible, partly visible, not visible or not shown on the
imagery. For non-visible locks, add a comment column to your table detailing
why the lock is no longer visible. (28 marks)

Lock Visibili Visibili Comments

Numbe ty in ty in
r 1934 2003
11 Visible Visible
12 Visible Visible
13 Visible Partly

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 GISC 9301- D3
ArcGIS Major Assignment December 19, 2017

Visible
14 Visible Partly
Visible
15 Visible Partly
Visible
16 Visible Partly
Visible
17 Visible Partly
Visible
18 Visible Partly
Visible
19 Not Not The lack of visibility for this lock is due to the reservoir
Visible Visible and dam construction that occurred sometime between
1921 and 1934. The dam appears to be built where the
lock would have been located.
20 Not Not The reservoir is again responsible for the lack of
Visible Visible visibility. Lock 20 would have been directly in the
reservoir, not near an edge and as such is under water
if not destroyed completely.
21 Visible Visible
22 Visible Visible
23 Partly Visible
Visible
24 Not Visible Lock 24 is not present in any of the 1934 air photos. It
Visible appears to be visible in the 2003 Satellite imagery
which would suggest that if the air photos had included
the area, the lock would have still been visible.

d) Describe the changes within the lands of the Fuller Plan from 1921 through
1934 to 2003. Speculate why these changes occurred. (12 marks)

In 1921 the Fuller plan appears to have been subdivided into small plots of land, much
of it looks like fields with a few small buildings, potentially farmhouses and barns,
located on the property. This would seem to follow the plan of Thomas Fuller to divide
the land for housing purposes.

By 1934 the subdivisions appear to mostly be gone, with the linear field divisions
blurred if not gone completely. This could be caused by a single farmer planting a single
type of crop, but the lack of noticeable furrows throughout the plan would suggest that
the land was used less for farming by this time. It also appears as though many of the
potential farm houses within the plan has been destroyed, as the footprints of these
buildings still seem to be there though there is no longer any associated shadows. Also
missing are the laneways and less well defined roads/pathways between the buildings
and connecting to the roads. These changes could have occurred as a result of the
opening of the 4th Welland Canal making access to the area of the Fuller Plan
significantly more difficult from the city, as the only direct access would be along the
railway, which also separated the plan from the north of the island where Glendale
Avenue had a bridge to cross the canals. Alternatively, by this point the 4 th canal would
have been completed, and the government of Canada could have purchased the land in
an effort to stop contamination of the canal from farming runoff and illegal dumping.

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 GISC 9301- D3
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By 2003 the Fuller Plan had been nearly completely overtaken by forest growth except
for to the north where there appears to be a work area of some sort and to the south,
where the area still looks to be open. This is likely because it is now private government
property, with no pedestrian access past the GM Plant. The roadways that exist in 2003
are likely for canal maintenance purposes.

e) What happened to the wedge shaped landform at location A of to A4873-20

Welland Canals 1934 (JPEG) that was visible in 1921 and 1934? Support your
hypothesis. (4 marks)
The wedge shaped formation that was visible in both 1921 and 1934 has been
overgrown, much like the Fuller Plan. There is still some evidence of the wedge
however, as there seems to be some shadows around the trees where the wedge would
have been located. This seems to imply that while the wedge is overgrown, there is still
a buildup of dirt and debris from the canal construction causing the trees in that area to
be elevated. The existing roadways in 2003 also appear to go around the wedge area to
the southwest, which would show that there is still debris in the area that would have
made road construction more of a challenge than necessary.

f) Create two figures for your report that show (via screen save or formal ArcGIS
layout) the georeferenced imagery overlaid atop the IKONOS satellite image.
One Figure for the 1921 imagery and one for the 1934 imagery. (16 marks)
See Following Pages

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Figure 2: 1934 Rectified Aerial Photos over 2003 Satellite Imagery

GISC 9301- D3
ArcGIS Major Assignment December 19, 2017

Figure 3: Rectified 1921 Aerial Photos over 2003 Satellite

Imagery
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 GISC 9301- D3
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5.0 Summary
Through the analysis of the rectified aerial photographs and the IKONOS satellite
imagery, it is very apparent that the area around the Fuller Plan has undergone massive
changes in the approximately 82 years between photos. Since the Fuller Plan is now
controlled by the Canadian Government and has become more difficult to access with
the railway to the north, 4th Canal to the west and the remnants of the 3rd canal to the
east, it is unlikely the land will ever be developed as Thomas Fuller envisioned.

Bibliography
Finlay, J. (2017). GISC 9231 ToR for D3 . Niagara-on-the-Lake: Niagara College.

St. Catharines Tourism . (2017, 12 19). Niagara's Welland Canal . Retrieved from
Niagara's Welland Canal: http://www.niagarawellandcanal.com/

All data for map creation provided by the Niagara College GIS-Geospatial Management
Program and Janet Finlay

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