Measurement of Degree of Saturation on Model Ground by Digital Image Processing

Abstract

The degree of saturation of ground is conventionally measured at discrete points using transducers, soil moisture sensors, etc. In this paper, a novel method was developed to directly measure the degree of saturation of continuous region of ground by noting the variation in color of the ground as the amount of moisture in the soil changes. In this research, a series of experiments was conducted for the purpose of developing a method to measure the degree of saturation of ground by digital image processing. From photo images taken at various soil moisture contents, the colors of the images were converted into numerical values which were then related to known degrees of saturation. The results of the experiments showed that a method to measure the degree of saturation of ground by image processing was possible. The relation between degree of saturation and luminance value can be expressed in terms of second degree function. Good results were obtained for two soil samples with different colors and grain size distributions. The margin of error was in the order of ±5%. The method was validated through vertical seepage tests, where good agreements were obtained between the measured degrees of saturation by tensiometers and those estimated from the proposed method. The method illustrates the possibility of measuring the degree of saturation of a larger portion of the ground, which is difficult to perform using conventional procedures. With this method, contour diagrams of degree of saturation can be produced, making it possible to visualize the propagation of the saturated region.