Comprehensive Strip Based Lineament Detection Method (COSBALID) from point-like features: a GIS approach

Comprehensive Strip Based Lineament Detection (COSBALID) is a new method that detects lineaments from pointlike features. It is based on the strip concept and composed of various steps, which apply filtering techniques in order to increase the accuracy and linearity of detected lineaments. The structure of the method is so robust that its parameters and variables are partially data driven giving the user great flexibility to adopt and modify them dynamically, in the course of processing, and impose new parameters at any step without altering the main structure of the method. The main steps of the method are as follows: (1) creation of a database using a GIS medium, (2) configuration of strips (polygons) (3) creation of an initial (strip) database by rotating the strips incrementally, (4) detection of unrefined alignments, (5) distance filtering, (6) linearity check, (7) repetition and redundancy check, and (8) further analysis based on various properties of the point like features. The method is applied to 94 volcanic cones within the Cappadocian Volcanic Province. The initial number of alignments is 2485 which gradually decreases to 25 after performing above-mentioned test and filters. The advantage of COSBALID method, over existing models is that it detects the exact geographical position of the end members of the lineaments. In addition, the method considers additional properties of point-like features such as type and shape. r 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.