DEM-based Identification Of Lunar Crater

The study of the lunar morphology has been one of the major tasks of lunar exploration program throughout recent decades. As the most typical geomorphic units and the most basic topographic characteristic, lunar impact craters has always being the research focus of lunar morphology. Correctly identifying and extracting craters would provide the most direct evidence for the study of Moon’s current status and evolutionary history, for research into the pit mechanism, impact effects provides a wealth of information, the level of its research to a certain extent, the success of one of the signs as an exploration of the moon.Remote sensing image is the most frequently used data source for both domestic and overseas research on crater identification, and relevant methods are becoming increasingly mature. Whereas the research outcomes of crater identification based on DEM (Digital Lunar Surface Model) are relatively rare and immature. Current theories and methods of Earth’s terrain extraction and analysis have undergone continuous development of several decades and reached a relatively high level, however, the applicability and effectiveness of applying them on the identification of lunar crater has not been verified. Moreover, DEM are always used as auxiliary data for the research of image-based crater identification. Thus, methods and techniques of DEM-based crater identification require further resarch.Based on the analysis of the morphological characteristics of lunar craters and their subunits, as well as their distribution pattens on the moon, the scientific classification of lunar craters in terms of the morphological characteristics of impact craters. Accordingly, the relationship between Chang’e-1DEM and topographic features of impact craters was disccused, and the feasibility of using Chang’e-1DEM to extract lunar craters was verified. The technical connotation of existing methods for terrain feature extraction was detailed and compared, and the feasibility of applying them on the identification of lunar crater was discussed based on the morphological and spatial characteristics of lunar crater. On these grounds, the identification method of lunar crater (crater rim) was proposed, the detailed technological flow was clarified, and relevant solutions for several key issues were designed. Finally, experiments were given to verify the accuracy of this method, and the results showed that the well-designed method can accurately determine the spatial location and quantity of craters, effectively extract of the rim of craters, and authenticly describe the2D morphological characteristics of craters.DEM-based lunar crater identification method presented in this article will be of great significance to supplement and assist the study of lunar morphology. It also extend the contents of DEM-based digital terrain analysis, and deepen people’s awareness and understanding towards lunar surface enironment. In addition, it is expected to serve the research on the lunar rock formations, estimation of the age of lunar surface, the amendment of lunar detector’s soft landing, inversion of the thickness of lunar soil, recovery of the origin and evolution of the moon.