scholarly journals UAV-Based Photogrammetric Tree Height Measurement for Intensive Forest Monitoring

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart Krause ◽  
Tanja G.M. Sanders ◽  
Jan-Peter Mund ◽  
Klaus Greve
Keyword(s):  
Tree Growth ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Forest Monitoring ◽  
Monitoring Site ◽  
Control Points ◽  
Height Measurement ◽  
Ground Control Points ◽  
Aerial Vehicle

The measurement of tree height has long been an important tree attribute for the purpose of calculating tree growth, volume, and biomass, which in turn deliver important ecological and economical information to decision makers. Tree height has traditionally been measured by indirect field-based techniques, however these methods are rarely contested. With recent advances in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) remote sensing technologies, the possibility to acquire accurate tree heights semi-automatically has become a reality. In this study, photogrammetric and field-based tree height measurements of a Scots Pine stand were validated using destructive methods. The intensive forest monitoring site implemented for the study was configured with permanent ground control points (GCPs) measured with a Total Station (TS). Field-based tree height measurements resulted in a similar level of error to that of the photogrammetric measurements, with root mean square error (RMSE) values of 0.304 m (1.82%) and 0.34 m (2.07%), respectively (n = 34). A conflicting bias was, however, discovered where field measurements tended to overestimate tree heights and photogrammetric measurements were underestimated. The photogrammetric tree height measurements of all trees (n = 285) were validated against the field-based measurements and resulted in a RMSE of 0.479 m (2.78%). Additionally, two separate photogrammetric tree height datasets were compared (n = 251), and a very low amount of error was observed with a RMSE of 0.138 m (0.79%), suggesting a high potential for repeatability. This study shows that UAV photogrammetric tree height measurements are a viable option for intensive forest monitoring plots and that the possibility to acquire within-season tree growth measurements merits further study. Additionally, it was shown that negative and positive biases evident in field-based and UAV-based photogrammetric tree height measurements could potentially lead to misinterpretation of results when field-based measurements are used as validation.

scholarly journals Glacier topography and elevation changes from Pléiades very high resolution stereo images

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 4849-4883 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Berthier ◽  
C. Vincent ◽  
E. Magnússon ◽  
Á. Þ. Gunnlaugsson ◽  
P. Pitte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Measurements ◽  
Ground Control ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Control Points ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Ground Control Points ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Stereo Imagery ◽  
Elevation Changes ◽  
Very High

Abstract. In response to climate change, most glaciers are losing mass and hence contribute to sea-level rise. Repeated and accurate mapping of their surface topography is required to estimate their mass balance and to extrapolate/calibrate sparse field glaciological measurements. In this study we evaluate the potential of Pléiades sub-meter stereo imagery to derive digital elevation models (DEMs) of glaciers and their elevation changes. Our five validation sites are located in Iceland, the European Alps, the Central Andes, Nepal and Antarctica. For all sites, nearly simultaneous field measurements were collected to evaluate the Pléiades DEMs. For Iceland, the Pléiades DEM is also compared to a Lidar DEM. The vertical biases of the Pléiades DEMs are less than 1 m if ground control points (GCPs) are used, but reach up to 6 m without GCPs. Even without GCPs, vertical biases can be reduced to a few decimetres by horizontal and vertical co-registration of the DEMs to reference altimetric data on ice-free terrain. Around these biases, the vertical precision of the Pléiades DEMs is ±1 m and even ±0.5 m on the flat glacier tongues (1-sigma confidence level). We also demonstrate the high potential of Pléiades DEMs for measuring seasonal, annual and multi-annual elevation changes with an accuracy of 1 m or better. The negative glacier-wide mass balances of the Argentière Glacier and Mer de Glace (−1.21 ± 0.16 and −1.19 ± 0.16 m.w.e. yr−1, respectively) are revealed by differencing SPOT5 and Pléiades DEMs acquired in August 2003 and 2012 demonstrating the continuing rapid glacial wastage in the Mont-Blanc area.

scholarly journals Glacier topography and elevation changes derived from Pléiades sub-meter stereo images

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 2275-2291 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Berthier ◽  
C. Vincent ◽  
E. Magnússon ◽  
Á. Þ. Gunnlaugsson ◽  
P. Pitte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Measurements ◽  
Ground Control ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Control Points ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Ground Control Points ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Stereo Imagery ◽  
Elevation Changes ◽  
Spot 5

Abstract. In response to climate change, most glaciers are losing mass and hence contribute to sea-level rise. Repeated and accurate mapping of their surface topography is required to estimate their mass balance and to extrapolate/calibrate sparse field glaciological measurements. In this study we evaluate the potential of sub-meter stereo imagery from the recently launched Pléiades satellites to derive digital elevation models (DEMs) of glaciers and their elevation changes. Our five evaluation sites, where nearly simultaneous field measurements were collected, are located in Iceland, the European Alps, the central Andes, Nepal and Antarctica. For Iceland, the Pléiades DEM is also compared to a lidar DEM. The vertical biases of the Pléiades DEMs are less than 1 m if ground control points (GCPs) are used, but reach up to 7 m without GCPs. Even without GCPs, vertical biases can be reduced to a few decimetres by horizontal and vertical co-registration of the DEMs to reference altimetric data on ice-free terrain. Around these biases, the vertical precision of the Pléiades DEMs is ±1 m and even ±0.5 m on the flat glacier tongues (1σ confidence level). Similar precision levels are obtained in the accumulation areas of glaciers and in Antarctica. We also demonstrate the high potential of Pléiades DEMs for measuring seasonal, annual and multi-annual elevation changes with an accuracy of 1 m or better if cloud-free images are available. The negative region-wide mass balances of glaciers in the Mont-Blanc area (−1.04 ± 0.23 m a−1 water equivalent, w.e.) are revealed by differencing Satellite pour l'Observation de la Terre 5 (SPOT 5) and Pléiades DEMs acquired in August 2003 and 2012, confirming the accelerated glacial wastage in the European Alps.

scholarly journals IMPROVING VERTICAL ACCURACY OF UAV DIGITAL SURFACE MODELS BY INTRODUCING TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANS ON A POINT-CLOUD LEVEL

2020 ◽  
Vol XLIII-B1-2020 ◽  
pp. 457-463
Author(s):  
T. Ivelja ◽  
B. Bechor ◽  
O. Hasan ◽  
S. Miko ◽  
D. Sivan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Scene Reconstruction ◽  
Control Points ◽  
Ground Control Points ◽  
Surface Models ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Vertical Accuracy ◽  
3D Scene ◽  
3D Scene Reconstruction

Abstract. Digital Surface Models (DSM) generated by image-based scene reconstruction from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS)point clouds are highly distinguished in terms of resolution and accuracy. This leads to a situation where users have to choose the most beneficial product to fulfill their needs. In the current study, these techniques no longer compete but complement each other. Experiments were implemented to verify the improvement of vertical accuracy by introducing different amounts and configurations of Terrestrial Laser scans in the photogrammetric Structure from Motion (SfM) workflow for high-resolution 3D-scene reconstruction. Results show that it is possible to significantly improve (∼ 49% ) the vertical accuracy of DSMs by introducing a TLS point clouds. However, accuracy improvement is highly associated with the number of introduced Ground Control Points (GCP) in the SfM workflow procedure.

scholarly journals Accuracy assessment of open - pit mine’s digital surface models generated using photos captured by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the post - processing kinematic mode

2021 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 38-47
Author(s):  
Long Quoc Nguyen ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Accuracy Assessment ◽  
Open Pit ◽  
Ground Control ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Control Points ◽  
Post Processing ◽  
Ground Control Points ◽  
Satellite Positioning ◽  
Surface Models ◽  
Aerial Vehicle

To evaluate the accuracy of the digital surface model (DSM) of an open-pit mine produced using photos captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with the post-processing dynamic satellite positioning technology (UAV/PPK), a DSM model of the Deo Nai open-pit coal mine was built in two cases: (1) only using images taken from UAV/PPK and (2) using images taken from UAV/PPK and ground control points (GCPs). These DSMs are evaluated in two ways: using checkpoints (CPs) and comparing the entire generated DSM with the DSM established by the electronic total station. The obtained results show that if using CPs, in case 1, the errors in horizontal and vertical dimension were 6.8 and 34.3 cm, respectively. When using two or more GCPs (case 2), the horizontal and vertical errors are at the centimetre-level (4.5 cm and 4.7 cm); if using the DSM comparison, the same accuracy as case 2 was also obtained.

scholarly journals Estimating forest uniformity in Eucalyptus spp. and Pinus taeda L. stands using field measurements and structure from motion point clouds generated from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) data collection

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. e005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ângela M. K. Hentz ◽  
Carlos A. Silva ◽  
Ana P. Dalla Corte ◽  
Sylvio P. Netto ◽  
Michael P. Strager ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Taeda ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Digital Terrain Model ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Forest Monitoring ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
3D Point Clouds ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Pinus Taeda L

Aim of study: In this study we applied 3D point clouds generated by images obtained from an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to evaluate the uniformity of young forest stands.Area of study: Two commercial forest stands were selected, with two plots each. The forest species studied were Eucalyptus spp. and Pinus taeda L. and the trees had an age of 1.5 years.Material and methods: The individual trees were detected based on watershed segmentation and local maxima, using the spectral values stored in the point cloud. After the tree detection, the heights were calculated using two approaches, in the first one using the Digital Surface Model (DSM) and a Digital Terrain Model, and in the second using only the DSM. We used the UAV-derived heights to estimate an uniformity index.Main results: The trees were detected with a maximum 6% of error. However, the height was underestimated in all cases, in an average of 1 and 0.7 m for Pinus and Eucalyptus stands. We proposed to use the models built herein to estimate tree height, but the regression models did not explain the variably within the data satisfactorily. Therefore, the uniformity index calculated using the direct UAV-height values presented results close to the field inventory, reaching better results when using the second height approach (error ranging 2.8-7.8%).Research highlights: The uniformity index using the UAV-derived height from the proposed methods was close to the values obtained in field. We noted the potential for using UAV imagery in forest monitoring.

scholarly journals Influence of the shape and size of the ground targets on the accuracy of photogrammetric processing

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-304
Author(s):  
Amr Elsheshtawy ◽  
Larisa A. Gavrilova ◽  
Anatoly N. Limonov ◽  
Mohamed Elshewy
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Aerial Survey ◽  
Control Points ◽  
Aerial Photos ◽  
Emergency Situations ◽  
Ground Control Points ◽  
First Case ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Mosaic Generation

The materials obtained from the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) are used to solve many problems, including large-scale mapping and monitoring of linear objects, as well as the ecological situation and monitoring of emergency situations. The promptly obtained photographic materials make it possible to reveal the consequences of man-made human impact associated with degradation of the soil cover, flooding of lands, salinization and pollution of the soil layer, and changes in the vegetation cover. Control points are used for absolute orientation of the generated models in the most projects of photogrammetric processing of aerial photos and images obtained from UAVs. In areas with low contour, before aerial survey, targeting is carried out in the required zones. The research is devoted to the study of the influence of the shape of ground targets on the accuracy of photogrammetric processing. It involved three different types of ground targets located on the land cover along the survey path at a distance not exceeding 1 m from each other. The targets were used as ground control points in the photogrammetric processing of the materials from the UAV. Two three-stripe photographic surveys of the 900 m long track were carried out: with UAV DJI PHANTOM 4 PRO camera FC6310 at a scale of 1:3400 and ground resolution of 1 cm and with the DJI Mavic PRO UAV camera FC220 at a scale of 1:12 700 and ground resolution of 2 cm. In both cases, the direction of flight is north - south, 36 targets were included in the photogrammetric processing. In the first case, 502 images were processed, in the second - 152. The photogrammetric processing for the orthophoto mosaic generation was carried out using the Agisoft Photo Scan Professional software. Four different contrasting sites in the study area were selected for the study: green grass, dry grass, clay, sand. Accuracy was assessed according to two criteria: 1) the degree of visualization of the target on the images; 2) the accuracy of the orthophoto mosaic, generated using various targets.

scholarly journals Accuracy of DSM By Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles on the Downstream of Welang Riverbank, District of Pasuruan, Jawa Timur

UKaRsT ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Dian Wahyu Khaulan ◽  
Entin Hidayah ◽  
Gusfan Halik
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Vertical Direction ◽  
Sufficient Accuracy ◽  
Ground Control ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Control Points ◽  
Digital Surface Model ◽  
Ground Control Points ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Topography Data

The Digital Surface Model (DSM) is commonly used in studies on flood map modeling. The lack of accurate, high-resolution topography data has hindered flood modeling. The use of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) can help data acquisition with sufficient accuracy. This research aims to provide high-resolution DSM-generated maps by Ground Control Points (GCPs) settings. Improvement of the model's accuracy was pursued by distributing 20 GCPs along the edges of the study area. Agrisoft software was used to generate the DSM. The generated DSM can be used for various planning purposes. The model's accuracy is measured in Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) based on the generated DSM. The RMSE values are 0.488 m for x-coordinates and y-coordinates (horizontal direction) and 0.161 m for z-coordinates (vertical direction).

UAV-derived change detection without ground control points, an example from the cliff coast of Rügen

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Cook ◽  
Michael Dietze
Keyword(s):  
Change Detection ◽  
Subsurface Water ◽  
Ground Control ◽  
Control Points ◽  
Model Quality ◽  
Antecedent Precipitation ◽  
Ground Control Points ◽  
Comparative Accuracy ◽  
Coastal Cliffs ◽  
Aerial Vehicle

<p><span>High resolution topographic models generated from repeat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveys and structure from motion (SfM) are increasingly being used to investigate landscape changes and geomorphic processes. Traditionally, accurate UAV surveys require the use of independently measured ground control points or highly accurate camera position measurements. However, in addition to accuracy in an absolute sense (how well modeled topography matches real topography), model quality can be expressed as accuracy in a comparative sense (the degree to which two models match each other). We present a simple SfM workflow for calculating pairs or sets of models with a high comparative accuracy, without the need for ground control points or a d</span><span>G</span><span>NSS equipped </span><span>UAV. The method is based on the automated detection of common tie points in stable portions of the survey area and, c</span><span>ompared to a standard SfM approach without ground control, reduces the level of change detection in our surveys from several meters to 10-15 cm. </span><span>We apply this</span><span> approach in a multi-year monitoring campaign of an 8 km stretch of coastal cliffs on the island of Rügen, Germany. We are able to detect numerous mass wasting events as well as bands of more diffuse erosion in chalk sections of the cliff. Both the cliff collapses and the diffuse erosion appear to be strongly influenced by antecedent precipitation over seasonal timescales, with much greater activity during the winter of 2017-2018, following an above average wet summer, than during the subsequent two winters, which both followed relatively dry summers. This points to the influence of subsurface water storage in modulating cliff erosion on Rügen.</span></p>

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