| 25 Sep 2026
3D surface displacements from digital image correlation on terrain models
Abstract. We present a methodology to retrieve 3D surface displacement based on Digital Image Correlation (DIC) applied
to multitemporal terrain models. Our approach has been developed to overcome the DIC limitation in the vertical component
of the displacement field when horizontal shifts are larger than the grid sampling. To validate the performance, we applied
the approach to two terrain models acquired over the Brienz/Brinzauls landslide, where surface displacements affect the entire
slope with heterogeneous amplitudes and directions. The comparison with in-situ measurements shows that DIC can accurately
retrieve horizontal and vertical displacements, providing a clear representation of the spatial extent of the mass movement, as
well as an accurate distinction of the internal landslide compartments. Our results are in good agreement with those obtained
using a state-of-the-art point correlation method, but require less preprocessing and computational effort. Thus, the proposed
DIC strategy can be considered as a valid alternative for measuring 3D surface displacements in scenarios where multitemporal
terrain models are available.
Competing interests: At least one of the (co-)authors is a member of the editorial board of Earth Observation.
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