Effects of imaging conditions on crown diameter measurements from high-resolution aerial images
Imaging geometry, the structure of the forest, and certain tree properties can cause inaccuracy in image measurements of the crown dimensions of individual trees. Measurement error of the crown diameter was studied in relation to various factors to explain this error. A secondary aim was to generate calibration models for improving the accuracy of crown diameter image measurements. The crown diameters of a total of 715 sample trees in southern Finland were measured in the field and from aerial photographs at scales 1:6000, 1 : 12 000, and 1 : 16 000. The photo grammetric image measurement seemed to systematically underestimate the true crown diameter, and the major factor affecting the bias was tree species. The mean underestimation varied from 0.30 to 0.80 m, with root mean square errors of 0.951.10 m depending on the tree species. Linear regression analysis was employed to define the factors that had an effect on the image measurements, and calibration models in the form of linear regression models were generated. The calibration models worked reasonably well, and the root mean square error for the calibrated observations decreased by 22% for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), 53% for Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst), and 47% for silver birch (Betula pendula Roth).