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Assessment of Spatial Interpolation Techniques for River Bathymetry

Generation of Panchganga River Basin Using Geoinformatic Techniques

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Sachin Panhalkar Amol Pandurang Jarag

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 Assessment of Spatial Interpolation Techniques for River
Bathymetry Generation of Panchganga River Basin Using
Geoinformatic Techniques
S. S. Panhalkar1* and Amol P. Jarag1

1
Dept. of Geography, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, MS, India

Abstract
River geometry is very crucial for various hydrological applications. However, generation of river geometry data is cumbersome
process. DGPS, Total station and echosounder instrument are basically used to generate river bathymetry but generated datasets
is mainly in discrete format. Interpolation techniques are generally used to develop statistical surface of river bathymetry. In the
present paper, assessment of various interpolation techniques has been carried out to suggest appropriate method for bathymetry
generation. Panchganga river of Kolhapur district for a stretch of 50 km (from Balinga to Ichalkaranji) has been selected for
the present work. Forty-eight cross sections have been generated by using DGPS and Total station instrument. To generate
bathymetry of Panchganga river, some of the cross section have been used. IDW, Krigging and Topo to Raster techniques have
been used to generate river bathymetry. RMS and Standard RMS techniques are used for cross validation. The analysis reveals
that IDW is much appropriate techniques for river bathymetry generation.

Key words: River Bathymetry, Cross-section data, interpolation techniques, RMS.

1. Introduction accurate to generate river bathymetry. But these techniques

Interpolation techniques play an important role in river
bathymetry generation. River bathymetry is one of the
important input for various hydrodynamic modeling. Various
1D/2D models are being used to assess flood conditions.
These models require various inputs to simulate flood
phenomena. Some of the basic inputs required for simulation
are discharge data, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), river
cross section, boundary condition etc. River bathymetry is
one of the basic input to run the model. Generation of river
bathymetry is cumbersome processes which requires river
cross sections at specific intervals. Various direct and indirect
methods are being adopted to generate these cross sections.
DEM is one of the sources to generate profiles but accuracy
depends on DEM resolution. However, field survey
techniques like Total station, Eco-sounder & DGPS are quite

2015 AARS, All rights reserved.
* Corresponding author: panhalkarsachin@gmail.com
are also having limitations to generate continuous data.
However, interpolation techniques are quite useful to
generate continuous data. IDW, Krigging and Topo to Raster
interpolation methods are being used to generate river
geometry. The main objective of this paper is to assess the
accuracy of interpolation techniques like Krigging , Topo to
Raster, IDW ,etc. for River bathymetry generation.
The research presented in this paper aims to assess the
performance of interpolation techniques on geometry
generation. It will assess the suitability of interpolation
techniques for such type of data generation. Such type of
analysis is of practical importance where geometry of river is
required. Interpolation of historic / traditional data in
conjunction with other datasets such as aerial photographs,
LIDAR & Digital Elevation Model is common approach in
creating river terrain models (V.Merwade,et.al.2006).
Assessment of Spatial Interpolation Techniques for River Bathymetry Generation of Panchganga River Basin Using Geoinformatic Techniques
Techniques used for data collection affects vertical &
horizontal accuracy of data (Maune 2001,.USGS, 2007)
Geometric description of channel bathymetry & its
surrounding Topo to Raster affect hydrodynamic modeling
of river channel including flood inundation mapping (Hardy
et . at. 1999). Issues related with river bathymetry generation
have been addressed through this paper. Various methods
have been developed to estimate the riverbed. A recent
technological development in bathymetry measurement
includes the use of boat-mounted SONAR (Sound Navigation
And Ranging) devices such as single or multi-beam
echosounder in conjunction with global positioning system
(GPS) to give a series of (x, y,z) bathymetry points
(Vermeyen, 2006;Rogala, 1999). Although the spatial
resolution of bathymetry points collected through
echosounding techniques can be much better compared to
cross-sections, these data still represent a discrete sample of
a continuous bathymetric surface. Continuous mapping of
shallow river bathymetry over large areas through air-borne
techniques is also an active area of research (Hilldale and
Raff, 2008; Legleiter et al., 2008; Marcus et al., 2003).
Digital photogrammetry in combination with image analysis
techniques is also applied in order to estimate the riverbed
(Westaway et al., 2000, 2001).Therefore, it is necessary to
assess the interpolation techniques for river bathymetry
generation. Terrain information is now a days commonly
provided by DTMs (Wise, 2007) and river bathymetry
sampling. Bathymetry data are incorporated into 2D/3D
models by interpolating observed discrete data (points or
cross-sections) to get elevations at model nodes (e.g., nodes
of a finite element mesh). Therefore, the accuracy of
bathymetric surfaces represented in 2D/3D models is
dependent upon the ability of interpolation methods in
Figure 1. Location Map of Study Area.
10
making accurate predictions at unmeasured locations using
discrete data. Recent studies have shown that commonly
available interpolation methods such as triangulation, inverse
distance weighting (IDW), splines or krigging, which assume
isotropy in data, yield inaccurate river bathymetric surface
(Goff and Nordfjord, 2004; Merwade et al., 2006).
2. Database & Methodology
For the present work, river cross sections of Panchganga
basin have been used. These cross sections were generated
through field work by using total station & DGPS instrument.
Cross section data is only available at selected locations such
as at the meandering course, confluence of two river & flood
plain area. At few places, length of these cross sections is
about 5 km. Cross section data have been generated to
capture details of river geometry. Total 48 cross sections
have been used to generate river bathymetry of Panchganga
by using IDW, Krigging & Topo to Raster methods of
interpolation. Some cross sections were used for cross
validation.
Interpolation methods play a crucial role in generating
statistical surface. Hence, it is necessary to assess the
generated surface with statistical techniques. Cross validation
& validation are two common statistical techniques for
comparison. (Phillips,et.al.1992, Zimmerman et. al 1999).
However, root mean square (RMS) & the standardized RMS
techniques are used for cross validation.
 Asian Journal of Geoinformatics, Vol.15,No.3 (2015)
where,
n is the no of Points
Zi act known value of points
S is the variance
S is the standard error
3. Study Area
The study area (Figure 1) lies between 16o25’ north to 16o55’
north latitudes and 74o05’ east to 74o30’ east longitude. This
catchment area covers some parts of Karveer, Hatkanangle
and Shirol tahsils of Kolhapur district. The entire area of the
study region is 615 sq. km. and a length of 50 km has been
used for interpolation analysis. The area has diversified
physiography with complex geological structure. Minimum
and maximum elevation of the region are 550 m and 1020 m
respectively. North western part of the catchment area is
hilly with rugged topography and plain surface is towards
eastern part.
4. Interpolation Techniques
Spatial interpolation is the process of using points with
known values to estimate values at other points (Chang,
2006). It is a technique of creating continuous surface data
from sample points. It is also known as statistical surface &
it is being used for various modeling purpose. Distribution &
sample size of known points influence the accuracy of spatial
interpolation. Spatial interpolation methods are being
Figure 2. River cross sections profile.
11
categorized as local interpolation & global interpolation.
Global interpolation method uses all known points to
estimate unknown points. On the contrary, local interpolation
uses sample of known points to estimate an unknown values.
Spatial interpolation can also be divided into two groups:
exact and inexact interpolation. Exact interpolation predicts
a values at the point location that is the same as it’s known
value, in other words, exact interpolation generates a surface
that passes through the control points. While inexact
interpolation or approximate interpolation predicts a value at
point location that differs from its known value.
Interpolation is the procedure of predicting the value of
attributes at unsampled sites from measurements made at
point locations within the same area or region (Borrough,
1998). Spatial interpolation is the estimation of an unknown
attribute values at unmeasured/unsampled points from
measurements made at surrounding sites (known values of
sampled points) (Q. Weng,2006). It is being an essential tool
for estimating spatial continuous data. Interpolation methods
have been applied to various disciplines concerned with the
earth’s surface. One of the most common applications of
interpolation techniques is in the construction of a digital
elevation model (DEM), sometimes referred to as a digital
terrain model (DTM), which uses range from scientific,
commercial, industrial, engineering to military applications
(P. A. Longley, M. Goodchild, D. J. Maguire, D. W.Rhind.,
2010). Zimmerman et al.(1999), showed that krigging
yielded better altitude estimations than inverse distance
weighting (IDW) irrespective of the landform type and
sampling pattern. However, in other studies neighborhood
approaches such as IDW or radial basis functions were as
accurate as krigging or even better (J. C. Guarneri et al.,
2012). Although there have been many studies on the
accuracy of interpolation techniques for the generation of
river bathymetry but there are still no consistent findings
about the performances of the spatial interpolators.
4.1 Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW)
Assessment of Spatial Interpolation Techniques for River Bathymetry Generation of Panchganga River Basin Using Geoinformatic Techniques
It is an exact local deterministic interpolation technique (D.
F. Watson, G. M. Philip,1985). IDW assumes that the value
at an unsampled location is a distance weighted average of
values at sampled points within a defined neighborhood
surrounding the unsampled point (P. A. Longley, M.
Goodhild, D. J. Maguire, D. W.Rhind., 2010) . In this sense,
IDW considers that points closer to the prediction location
will have more influence on the predicted value than points
located farther away. Inverse distance weighted method is
being used to generate bathymetry of river Panchganga by
using IDW interpolation technique. River bathymetry
(Figure 3) has been generated The general equation used
for the IDW is as fallows,
Where,
Zo is the estimated value of point0
Zi is the Z value of known point i
Di is that distance between point i & point 0
S is the number of known point used in estimation.
K is the specified power.
IDW estimates the value within the range of maximum &
minimum values of the sample point.
4.2 Krigging
It is geostatistical method for spatial interpolation. It also
Fig. no 3: interpolated surface using IDW
4.2 KRIGGING:
It is geostatistical method for spatial interpolation. It also
examines the quality of prediction. This method is originated in mining &
geologic engineering ( Davis, 1998,issake & shrivastava 1989;). Krigging
is not based on totally random or deterministic approach . The Krigging
interpolation is similar to IDW in that it weights the surrounding
measured values to derive a prediction for an unmeasured location (M. A.
Oliver, R Webster,1990). However, weights are not only based on the
distance between the measured points and the prediction location but also
on the overall spatial arrangement of the measured points. Krigging
assumes Figure
that the distance or direction between sample points reflects a
3. Interpolated surface using IDW.
spatial correlation that can be used to explain the variation in the surface
(P. A. Longley, M. Goodchild, D. J. Maguire, D. W.Rhind, 2010).
Krigging method uses following equation,
12
examines the quality of prediction. This method is originated
in mining & geologic engineering ( Davis, 1998,issake &
shrivastava 1989;). Krigging is not based on totally random
or deterministic approach . The Krigging interpolation is
similar to IDW in that it weights the surrounding measured
values to derive a prediction for an unmeasured location (M.
A. Oliver, R Webster,1990). However, weights are not only
based on the distance between the measured points and the
prediction location but also on the overall spatial arrangement
of the measured points. Krigging assumes that the distance
or direction between sample points reflects a spatial
correlation that can be used to explain the variation in the
surface (P. A. Longley, M. Goodchild, D. J. Maguire, D.
W.Rhind, 2010). Krigging method uses following equation,
Where,
Z (Si) is the i-th position of the measured
value; i is the i-th position measurement values of
the unknown weight ;
So is the predicted position
N is the number of measurements.
Figure 4. Integrated river TIN with cross sections and
Krigging interpolated surface.
Fig. no 4: integrated river TIN with cross sections and Krigging
interpolated surface
Figure 5. Integrated river TIN with cross sections and Topo
Fig. no 5: integrated river TIN with cross sections and Topo to Raster
interpolated surface
to Raster interpolated surface
5. Cross-Validation Of Interpolated Surfaces:
River cross sections data is collected through Total station &
DGPS and stored using x, y and z coordinates. All data are stored in one
datum system and projection with similar format. Initially collected cross
sections were splited into two sub-sets that is one for testing and another
 Asian Journal of Geoinformatics, Vol.15,No.3 (2015)

Figure 6. Comparison of a cross section.

By using Krigging equation, interpolated surface (Figure 4) stored in one datum system and projection with similar
has been created. format. Initially collected cross sections were splited into
two sub-sets that is one for testing and another for creating
4.3 Topo to Raster interpolated surfaces. Different approaches are used for
testing and validation of interpolation techniques. Statistical
The Topo to Raster is an interpolation method specifically analysis of generated surface (Table 1) has been carried out
designed for the creation of hydrologically correct digital by using GIS software.
elevation models (DEMs). It is based on the ANUDEM
Fig. no 4: integrated river TIN with cross sections and Krigging
program developed by Hutchinson M.F (1989). By
interpolated surface The result of the statistical parameters of the three
interpolating elevation values for a raster, the Topo to Raster interpolation techniques were examined. Several methods
method imposes constraints that ensure a hydrologically are available to assess the quality of interpolated surfaces
correct digital elevation model that contains a connected compared to measured bathymetry in validation datasets.
drainage structure and correctly represents ridges and Commonly used quantitative methods include precision
olation. It also streams from input contour data. It uses an iterative finite indices such as mean error, mean absolute error or the root
ted in mining & difference interpolation technique that optimizes the mean square error (RMSE)( Venkatesh Merwade., 2009).
989;). Krigging
. The Krigging
computational efficiency of local interpolation without
he surrounding losing the surface continuity of global interpolation. It was The assessments of interpolated surfaces have been carried Goff, J.A., No
channeloriented
location (M. A. specifically designed to work intelligently with contour out by applying Zi act – Zi est, RMS and Standard RMS Mathematical Ge
y based on the
ocation but also inputs (Colin Childs , 2004).Figure 5 shows interpolated techniques. Field data of twelve cross sections have been
Hardy, R.J., Ba
oints. Krigging surface generated by Topo to Raster used for the cross validation. As per (Table 2 and Figure 6), resolution in hyd
oints reflects a Fig. no 5: integrated river TIN with cross sections and Topo to Raster
interpolated surface IDW is much appropriate techniques as per the various 216 (1–2), 124–1
n in the surface
W.Rhind, 2010). 5. Cross-Validation of Interpolated Surfaces validation method. Topo to Raster and Krigging methods are Hilldale, R.C., R
5. Cross-Validation Of Interpolated Surfaces:
River cross sections data is collected through Total station & not suitable as they are having more deviation. Observed river bathymetry
River
DGPScross sections
and stored using x,data
y andisz collected
coordinates. through
All data are Total
storedstation
in one & cross section data (Figure 6) is plotted against Krigging Hutchinson, M.
DGPS and stored
datum system usingwith
and projection x, ysimilar
and format.
z coordinates. All data
Initially collected cross are
,IDW, and Topo to Raster generated cross sections, it also data with automa
sections were splited into two sub-sets that is one for testing and another
for creating interpolated surfaces. Different approaches are used for Isaaks, E. H. & S
testing and validation of interpolation techniques. Statistical analysis of Oxford Universi
generated surface (Table No. 1) has been carried out by using GIS Fig No.6: Comparison of a cross section from after interpolated surface
of the software. Legleiter, C.J., K
Table
Table1.
1: Statistical details
statistical details Table2:2.
Table Error
Error of three
of three different
different interpolation
interpolation techniques intechniques.
study region Rastergraphy by
Dataset IDW KRIGGING TOPO TO RASTER TO Marcus, W.A.,
RASTER
TECHNIQUES (Zi act-Zi est) 2 RMS STANDARD RMS
2003. High spati
MIN 483.5570 525.5719 528.8629 IDW 0.216731 7.6344 0.7759 and woody debri
no: 4) has been
MAX 551.7066 549.0090 541.0615 KRIGGING 2.421891 9.5108 0.9666 M. A. Oliver,
geographical in
MEAN 541.1941 541.2282 540.6143 TOPO TO 5.890481 9.4421 0.9597 Information Syst
hod specifically RASTER
MEDIAN 541.7265 541.8732 541.0615 Maune, D.F. (Ed
igital elevation
m developed by The DEM Users
SD 04.80001 03.58262 03.64393 The assessments of interpolated surfaces have been carried out
for a raster, the Sensing, Bethesd
by applying Zi act – Zi est, RMS and Standard RMS techniques. Field
hydrologically The result of the statistical parameters of the three interpolation data of twelve cross sections have been used for the cross validation. As Merwade, V.M.
ected drainage techniques were examined. Several methods are available to assess the per (table no:2 and fig no:6), IDW is much appropriate techniques as per while interpolati
m input contour quality of interpolated surfaces compared to measured bathymetry in 731–741.
13 the various validation method. Topo to Raster and Krigging methods are
technique that validation datasets. Commonly used quantitative methods include not suitable as they are having more deviation. Observed cross section
olation without precision indices such as mean error, mean absolute error or the root Merwade, V., 20
was specifically data (Fig no. 6) is plotted against Krigging ,IDW, and Topo to Raster
mean square error (RMSE)( Venkatesh Merwade., 2009). Hydrol. 371, 169
n Childs, ESRI, generated cross sections, it also shows that IDW generates cross sections
Assessment of Spatial Interpolation Techniques for River Bathymetry Generation of Panchganga River Basin Using Geoinformatic Techniques
shows that IDW generated cross sections are much more
accurate than others.
6. Conclusion
For accurate river bathymetry generation comparative
analysis is carried away between IDW, Krigging and Topo to
Raster. According to validation. Results, IDW is most
suitable and accurate method for generation of river
bathymetry.
Acknowledgement
This paper is an outcome of research project funded by
NRDMS, Department of Science and Technology, New
Delhi. We express our sincere thanks to DST, New Delhi for
providing financial support for the project.
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