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Precision measurements from very-large scale aerial digital imagery
D Terrance Booth1, Samuel E Cox, Robert D Berryman
1USDA-ARS, High Plains Grasslands Research Station, 8408 Hildreth Rd, Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA. tbooth@lamar.colostate.edu
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
|January 13, 2006
Summary
New software accurately measures objects from very large scale aerial (VLSA) imagery, enabling precise resource monitoring. These tools provide centimeter-level accuracy with less than 10% error for land inspection and management.
Area of Science:
- Remote Sensing
- Geospatial Analysis
- Environmental Monitoring
Background:
- Resource managers require accurate measurements of diverse environmental features for effective land inspection and monitoring.
- Obtaining precise measurements from aerial imagery is challenging due to variations in altitude, orientation, and topography.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce three new software programs designed to facilitate accurate measurements from very large scale aerial (VLSA) imagery.
- To demonstrate the utility of these tools for resource monitoring and land inspection applications.
Main Methods:
- Development of three integrated software packages: ImageMeasurement, LaserLOG, and Merge.
- ImageMeasurement utilizes a database to account for pixel-coverage variations.
- LaserLOG records and displays airplane altitude above ground level (AGL) and vertical velocity, while Merge synchronizes altitude data with camera trigger times.
Main Results:
- Measurements from aerial images (5-26 mm/pixel ground resolution) achieved centimeter-level accuracy.
- The developed software demonstrated an error rate of less than 10% in measurements.
- Successful application in obtaining accurate data for various environmental features.
Conclusions:
- The integrated software package significantly enhances the utility of VLSA imagery for resource management.
- These tools provide a reliable and accurate method for obtaining critical measurements in environmental monitoring.
- The software is recommended for expanding the application of aerial image data in land inspection and resource assessment.
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