By using old elevation maps as geometric guides, you can reconstruct 3D terrain from images without expensive feature matching, making wildfire hazard assessment faster and cheaper for emergency responders.
This paper presents a method for creating accurate 3D terrain maps of wildfire-prone areas by combining outdated elevation data with aerial images. Instead of expensive LiDAR or slow image-matching approaches, the method uses physics-based alignment between images and existing digital elevation models to reconstruct terrain quickly and accurately.