Rugosity Tool

3690
2
09-12-2012 06:51 PM
Status: Open
Labels (1)
TJMoore
New Contributor III
Please add a Rugosity Tool (for planar and geographic/geodesic analysis) to ArcGIS (e.g., Spatial Analyst extension).  This tool is available via the freely available Benthic Terrain Modeler (http://www.csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/tools/btm) but that application is not being migrated to ArcGIS 10.x.  The rugosity tool is apparently available in the new ArcGIS for Maritime: Bathymetry special extension but this is an additional extension with a license fee.  The rugosity tool has applications beyond bathymetric environments (e.g., topographic) so it would seem this tool should be more widely available in a mainstream extension to ArcGIS.  The tool is available here as an example of how to implement:

http://www.jennessent.com/arcgis/surface_area.htm
2 Comments
ShaunWalbridge
Benthic Terrain Modeler is once again being updated, and in its latest release we include two possible measures for rugosity: VRM and the surface area to planar area ratio provided both in previous releases of BTM and in Jenness' tools. BTM is available freely for download, let us know if you'd like to see more. The tool is open source and available on Github, where we'd be happy to get suggestions for future development.
  
CherisseDu_Preez
Hi tjmoore,

Although not an extension (yet), the new automated ArcGIS ACR rugosity model tool maybe of interest to you. It can be used to produce a rugosity raster or to calculate the rugosity value of a defined window (with multiple cells). The arc-chord ratio (ACR) rugosity index offers many advances over other rugosity indices, inlcuding controlling for (i.e., removing or decoupling) slope from the equation.

Availble for download with a Readme help file at:
http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=ff05823721cb4a90800a917b20dacaf0

Or with the published Landscape Ecology manuscript at:
http://springer.libdl.ir/article/10.1007/s10980-014-0118-8
"A new arc–chord ratio (ACR) rugosity index for quantifying three-dimensional landscape structural complexity"

~Cherisse