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What Is Accuracy in An Aerial Mapping Project

Accuracy in aerial mapping refers to how precisely a 3D reconstruction model matches the real world features it aims to capture. Relative accuracy means accuracy within the model, like distances between building features, while absolute accuracy means the model's true position on a map. Factors like image overlap and ground sampling distance (the distance each pixel covers) affect expected accuracy levels. Users can improve accuracy using tools to add tie points and ground control points to aerial images in Pix4D's rayCloud software.

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Jorge Gonzalez
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28 views

What Is Accuracy in An Aerial Mapping Project

Accuracy in aerial mapping refers to how precisely a 3D reconstruction model matches the real world features it aims to capture. Relative accuracy means accuracy within the model, like distances between building features, while absolute accuracy means the model's true position on a map. Factors like image overlap and ground sampling distance (the distance each pixel covers) affect expected accuracy levels. Users can improve accuracy using tools to add tie points and ground control points to aerial images in Pix4D's rayCloud software.

Uploaded by

Jorge Gonzalez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is accuracy in an aerial mapping

project ?
25 APRIL 2019

As camera resolution has improved, so has our ability to


digitize the world in greater accuracy than ever before.
We’ve come a long way from the first aerial photographs. Now, drone images and
even camera phones capture enough detail to create accurate digital twins.

Accuracy in an aerial mapping project is essential to getting professional results. In


this article, we’ll explore what we mean by accuracy, what exactly is ground sampling
distance, and how the Pix4D rayCloud can be used to improve the accuracy of your
aerial mapping project.

Relative vs absolute accuracy in aerial


mapping
When discussing accuracy, it’s important to distinguish between relative and
absolute accuracy.

Relative accuracy is accuracy comparing features within a reconstruction. For


example, if a model of a building shows windows two meters apart, and this is the
same distance as on the actual building, the model has high relative accuracy.

Absolute accuracy is the accuracy of the reconstruction in relation to its true position
on the planet. If the same model of the building is not in the correct place on the
basemap, it has low absolute accuracy, even if it has high relative accuracy.

This model of a house has high relative accuracy as it’s correctly reconstructed, but low absolute
accuracy, as it’s in the wrong place

What is accuracy in an aerial mapping project? 1


This article goes into more detail on the difference between relative and absolute
accuracy.

Does it matter if your model is accurate? That depends.

With a relatively accurate reconstruction, you can still measure distances, volumes
and height. This may be more than enough for your project. However, if you want to
combine it with GIS data, then absolute accuracy is absolutely important.

Expected (in)accuracy
Are your reconstructions as accurate as possible? The accuracy depends on
the quality of the project which depends on a lot of different things - such as the
overlap between images, the visual content of the images and more.

Generally, in a project which has been correctly reconstructed, you can expect the
relative accuracy to be within one to three times the ground sampling distance
(GSD). The absolute accuracy of a correctly reconstructed project is one to two
GSD horizontally (X and Y) and one to three GSD vertically (Z).

What is ground sampling distance?


Ground sampling distance (GSD) is the distance between the center of two
consecutive pixels measured on the ground.

For example, a GSD of 5 centimeters means one pixel in the image represents 5
linear centimeters on the ground. The same pixel will cover 25 square centimeters
(5 x 5 centimeters).

Projects with a high GSD will have less visible details. In extreme cases, your
project may look like an old video game.

The image on the left has a GSD of 5cm, and the image on the right has a GSD of 30cm

Ground sampling distance is affected by the height you fly at and the camera
specifications. A lower height, with the same camera, means lower ground sample
distance and more detailed outputs.

What is accuracy in an aerial mapping project? 2


Altitude affects ground sample distance. A lower height means a lower ground sample distance.

However, flying lower means taking more time (and batteries) to capture the same
area.

Differences in terrain and changes in the camera angle mean that images in the
same project may have different GSDs.

The right flight height for the right GSD


What ground sampling distance you need depends on the needs of your project.

If you are modeling a complex structure, you need a low GSD to capture as many
details as possible.

Before taking off, decide the right GSD and define the flight height.

The required height that is needed to obtain a given GSD depends on the camera
focal length, sensor width and image width.

Calculating the right flight height involves the relationship between the sensor width, focal length and
image width.

To calculate flight height:


H [m] = (ImW * GSD * F) / (SW * 100)

What is accuracy in an aerial mapping project? 3


Fortunately, we’ve created a tool to do this for you.

You can download the Pix4D GSD calculator for either Excel or Open Office.

To use it, plug in some variables such as sensor width and and focal length, and the
GSD will be calculated automatically.

Or, with mobile flight planning apps such as Pix4Dcapture, you can plan and fly
missions with many different drones - and it automatically calculates the GSD.

Explore this topic further: Scientific White Paper - How accurate are UAV
surveying methods?

Assessing and improving accuracy with the


Pix4D rayCloud
The 3D interface of Pix4D’s rayCloud allows you to interact with both the original 2D
images and the reconstructed 3D scene.

The rayCloud allows you to interact with both the original 2D images and the reconstructed 3D scene

Just click on a 3D point to see all of the images which were used to reconstruct
that point.

As well as being great for virtually inspecting a project, you can use the rayCloud to
better assess and improve accuracy.
• A Theoretical Error can be visualized with the Error Ellipsoid for every single point of the
reconstruction by clicking on it. Learn more in our support article.

• Adding manual tie points (MTPs) improves the relative accuracy of the project. This way you add
additional information that is used for the reconstruction of the project.

• Adding ground control points (GCPs) improves both the relative and absolute accuracy of the
project. In addition to MTPs, GCPs also include the real world coordinates which are used for
georeferencing the project.

• Checkpoints work similarly to GCPs, but while GCPs build the reconstruction, checkpoints verify
that it is correct. You can review checkpoints in the Quality Report.

What you can’t do is create data which isn’t in your original images. In further posts
in this series, we’ll help you plan the best possible flight for your project.

Online version : https://www.pix4d.com/blog/accuracy-aerial-mapping

What is accuracy in an aerial mapping project? 4

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