The measurement of river channel morphology using digital photogrammetry

This paper seeks to review the progress that is being achieved by fluvial geomorphologists in making use of digital photogrammetry for river channel research. Fluvial geomorphology is first placed in a basic historical context from which the failure to make full use of the potential of photogrammetry is noted. A review is then given of the ways in which fluvial geomorphologists are now making use of photogrammetry, recognizing that the development of digital approaches has both made photogrammetry a more cost-effective tool and also introduced a range of new research questions. The main objective of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of these questions and to illustrate some of the ways in which they are being addressed. Special attention is given to the issue of data quality, which is frequently (and perhaps conveniently) ignored.