EuroCOW 2016: 3D corridor mapping without ground control points anticipated by GeoNumerics

Corridor mapping ̶ i.e., mapping of roadways, railways and waterways̶  without traditional ground control points (GCPs) was presented and analysed by GeoNumerics at the recent EuroCOW 2016 conference organized by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Écublens, Lausanne, Switzerland.

GeoNumerics researchers invented the mapKITE surveying concept, a 3D corridor mapping technique based on tandem geodata acquisition missions. In a mapKITE mission, a terrestrial mobile mapping system (TMMS) and an unmanned aerial mapping system (UAMS), simultaneously collect data, from ground and from above., where the unmanned aircraft (UA) follows from above the terrestrial mapping vehicle (TV). The latter, carries an INS/GNSS-based motion sensing acquisition system, mapping sensors and, on its roof, an optical target of known size, shape and painting. Each time that an image is taken from the UA, the optical target is imaged so that, later on, a photogrammetric observation of the target (point-and-scale measurement) can be made. Thus, every image contains a Kinematic Ground Control Point (KGCP) materialized by the centre of the optical target.

GeoNumerics reported preliminary results on the potential of KGCPs to replace the traditional, static GCPs. According to the results, a mapKITE corridor mission can be performed without GCPs or with rather few of them that can be easily obtained by letting some KGCPS be observed while the TV stands still. According to the results, also, the UA camera can be reliably calibrated.

The mapKITE concept, the mathematical models and the simulation results presented at the EuroCOW 2016 can be found in the article "Precision analysis of point-and-scale photogrammetric measurements for corridor mapping: preliminary results" (see details below).

MapKITE is currently being developed under the umbrella of the European Union Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation by an international consortium of ten organisations led by GeoNumerics (grant 641518).

GeoNumerics (Castelldefels, Catalonia, Spain) is a research and development (R&D) intensive SME company specialised in geomatics and accurate navigation. The company licenses software, provides R&D services and participates in the institutional markets of advanced R&D projects. In recent times, among other, GeoNumerics has made innovative contributions to the application of unmanned aircraft, Galileo satellite navigation and inertial navigation to remote sensing and mapping.

The EuroCOW 2016 was the sixth edition of the European Calibration Workshop (EuroCOW) series of workshops, a biennial joint event of the European Spatial Data Research (EuroSDR) and of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) since 2006.

ARTICLE DETAILS

Authors: Molina,P.,Blázquez,M.,Sastre,J.,Colomina,I.
Year: 2016
Title: Precision analysis of point-and-scale photogrammetric measurements for corridor mapping: preliminary results
Book: International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 40(3-W4)
Pages: 85-90
Conference: EuroCOW 2016
Organization: EuroSDR and ISPRS
Venue: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology / École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland

ARTICLE CITATION

Molina,P.,Blázquez,M.,Sastre,J.,Colomina,I.,2016. Precision analysis of point-and-scale photogrammetric measurements for corridor mapping: preliminary results. International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 40(3-W4), pp. 85-90.

ARTICLE DOWNLOAD

The article may be downloaded here.