Askja caldera 1945-2023 geospatial dataset

Here, we present a geospatial dataset covering the 1945-2023 period of morphodynamics at Askja caldera, Iceland. The dataset consists of three parts: (1) digital elevation models (DEMs) generated from the 1945 and 1987 archive aerial photographs, 2013 and 2022 Pléiades satellite imagery, and 2019, 2022, and 2023 drone images; (2) orthophotographs generated from the same source data; and (3) set of shapefiles, which represents the identified morphological features at the SE wall of Askja caldera.

The initial data was processed using Agisoft Metashape Professional v. 1.8.3 photogrammetric software. In addition, the 2022 and 2023 drone datasets contained infrared images that were pre-processed in ThermoViewer v. 3.0.4 and DJI Thermal Analysis Tool v. 3.1.0. The features in the shapefiles were extracted based on the DEMs and orthophotos using ArcGIS desktop v. 10.8.2 tools.

Data was used to perform 2D and 3D analysis of the long-term geomorphological processes and slope instability at the caldera wall, to reveal precursors of preparing hazardous events, and to calculate volumes of the 2014 landslide. Repeated morphological analysis and feature tracking starting from 1945 revealed that changes are persistent over the observation period, locally accumulating in the area, which was later affected by the 2014 landslide. The results are relevant for understanding the factors of slope instability at Askja caldera and for possible hazard assessment.

We acknowledge the National Land Survey of Iceland (LMI) for providing the 1987 and 1945 aerial photographs, the National Center for Space Studies (CNES) for providing Plèiades data at a preferential (institutional) price, the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) for financing the fieldwork.

This dataset corresponds to an article: Shevchenko, A.V., Walter, T.R., Gudmundsson, M.T. et al. Morphological changes of the south-eastern wall of Askja caldera, Iceland over the past 80 years. Commun Earth Environ 5, 441 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01616-z