Riverbed mapping with the usage of deterministic and geo-statistical interpolation methods: The odra river case study

Abstract

In this contribution, interpolation methods were assessed to build the bathymetry of 200 km of the Odra River in South Poland. The River Bed Mapping (RBM) was carried out surveying the depth of several reaches of the canalized part of the river using an Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) with an echo sounder as well as two navigation schemes. The values from the interpolation were compared with the data from a classical cross-sectional survey as part of the ISOK (Polish acronym for Information System of Country Protection Against Extraordinary Hazards) project. Two statistical errors between the interpolation values and the ISOK information were estimated, namely, the Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). Thanks to the presented analysis, it was possible to compare and analyze which interpolation method fits the best for the batymetric surveying of a shallow river. For this specific case study, the TIN (Triangular Irregular Network) and the NN (Natural Neighbor) methods generates the most accurate RBM.