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Accuracy Assessment of UAS Photogrammetry with GCP and PPK-Assisted Georeferencing

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New Developments and Environmental Applications of Drones (FinDrones 2023)

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Abstract

Establishing a dense, well-distributed ground control point (GCP) network for unmanned aerial system (UAS) surveys can be time-consuming and impractical. Recent availability of UASs capable of GNSS-assisted aerial triangulation (AAT) has provided an alternative method, wherein the refinement of the positional accuracy of camera stations via, for example, post-processing kinematic (PPK) correction reduces the need for GCPs. Studies have highlighted how AAT can provide nearly equal accuracy to GCP-based georeferencing, especially if at least one GCP is utilized for bias correction. However, results on the utility of more than one GCP together with AAT are scarce or mixed. This study explores how the number of GCPs affects model accuracy when mapping a ~1 km2 site with a UAS capable of PPK correction. Also, a comparison between two different local base stations and a virtual reference station (VRS) is provided. Based on analysis with 3D checkpoints, increasing the number of GCPs provided only negligible improvements in horizontal accuracy. However, significant improvement is seen in vertical accuracy when increasing the number of GCPs, with the VRS providing the most accurate results. The results indicate that UAS surveys with AAT may benefit from utilization of multiple GCPs.

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Acknowledgments

The measurements were carried out during a continued monitoring campaign that was part of the project Drone-based monitoring of mine environments, which was supported by the European Regional Development Fund. The author was also personally supported by the K. H. Renlund Foundation. I gratefully acknowledge the fieldwork assistance of colleagues from the Geological Survey of Finland and thank the National Land Survey of Finland for the access to the FinnRef RINEX data.

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  1. University of Oulu, Civil Engineering, Oulu, Finland

    Anssi Rauhala

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  1. Anssi Rauhala
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Correspondence to Anssi Rauhala .

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  1. University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Tomi Westerlund

  2. University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Jorge Peña Queralta

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Rauhala, A. (2024). Accuracy Assessment of UAS Photogrammetry with GCP and PPK-Assisted Georeferencing. In: Westerlund, T., Peña Queralta, J. (eds) New Developments and Environmental Applications of Drones. FinDrones 2023. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44607-8_4

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