Accuracy of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and SfM Photogrammetry Survey as a Function of the Number and Location of Ground Control Points Used

[EN] The geometrical accuracy of georeferenced digital surface models (DTM) obtained from images captured by micro-UAVs and processed by using structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry depends on several factors, including flight design, camera quality, camera calibration, SfM algorithms and georef...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Sanz Ablanedo, Enoc, Chandler, Jim H., Rodríguez Pérez, José Ramón, Ordóñez, Celestino
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:España
Institución:Universidad de León
Repositorio:BULERIA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de León
OAI Identifier:oai:buleria.unileon.es:10612/23733
Acceso en línea:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/10/10/1606
https://hdl.handle.net/10612/23733
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Topografía
Ground control points
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)
Structure from motion
Accuracy
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] The geometrical accuracy of georeferenced digital surface models (DTM) obtained from images captured by micro-UAVs and processed by using structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry depends on several factors, including flight design, camera quality, camera calibration, SfM algorithms and georeferencing strategy. This paper focusses on the critical role of the number and location of ground control points (GCP) used during the georeferencing stage. A challenging case study involving an area of 1200+ ha, 100+ GCP and 2500+ photos was used. Three thousand, four hundred and sixty-five different combinations of control points were introduced in the bundle adjustment, whilst the accuracy of the model was evaluated using both control points and independent check points. The analysis demonstrates how much the accuracy improves as the number of GCP points increases, as well as the importance of an even distribution, how much the accuracy is overestimated when it is quantified only using control points rather than independent check points, and how the ground sample distance (GSD) of a project relates to the maximum accuracy that can be achieved