Variogram maps from LiDAR data as fingerprints of surface morphology on scree slopes

Herein, an aerial LiDAR topographic dataset is
analysed and interpolated by means of geostatistical tech-niques in order to examine the morphology of a scree slope
area in the Eastern Italian Alps. The LiDAR-derived digital
terrain model (DTM) is analysed using variogram maps as
spatial continuity indexes. This allowed for evaluation of the
reproduction of spatial variability of topography and for the
characterization and comparison of different morphological
features occurring in the study site. The results indicate that
variogram maps efficiently synthesise the spatial variability
of topography in a local search window, representing suitable
“fingerprints” of surface morphology.