Abstract
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is nowadays a standard approach in several application fields. Researches connected with these systems cover several topics and the evolution of these platforms and their applications are rapidly growing. Despite the high level of automatization reached nowadays, there is still a phase of the overall UAVs’ photogrammetric pipeline that requires a high effort in terms of time and resources (i.e., the georeferencing phase). However, thanks to the availability of survey-grade GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers embedded in the aerial platforms, it is possible to also enhance this phase of the processing by adopting direct georeferencing approaches (i.e., without using any ground control point and exploiting real time kinematic (RTK) positioning). This work investigates the possibilities offered by a multirotor commercial system equipped with a RTK-enabled GNSS receiver, focusing on the accuracy of the georeferencing phase. Several tests were performed in an ad-hoc case study exploiting different georeferencing solutions and assessing the 3D positional accuracies, thanks to a network of control points. The best approaches to be adopted in the field according to accuracy requirements of the final map products were identified and operational guidelines proposed accordingly.
Highlights
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) represent, nowadays, a consolidated approach in several application fields
Thanks to the availability of survey-grade GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers embedded in the aerial platforms, it is possible to enhance this phase of the processing by adopting direct georeferencing approaches (i.e., without using any ground control point and exploiting real time kinematic (RTK) positioning)
The GNSS base station can be a receiver setup in the field or a virtual station created by a network of CORSs (Continuously Operating Reference Stations), whose corrections are sent via a GNSS Networked Transport of RTCM via Internet Protocol (NTRIP)
Summary
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) represent, nowadays, a consolidated approach in several application fields. The Italian regulation for the use of UAVs, issued and monitored from the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC), presents a specific series of regulations depending on the MTOW (maximum take-off weight) of the considered platform This approach has been adopted in the European regulation and in other countries as reported in [31]. Fixed-wing solutions allow for larger areas to be covered in a limited amount of time, while multirotor systems are generally deployable in the field (especially in terms of takeoff and landing), more flexible and maneuverable, and less affected by weather conditions [1] This manuscript focused on a specific approach (direct georeferencing) to enhance, mainly in terms of timeliness and positional accuracy, the georeferencing of images acquired by a multi-rotor platform. These have addressed different aspects (e.g., the optimization of flight planning and image acquisition phases [34,35], the use of oblique images [36], the optimization of the control points configuration [37,38,39], the assessment of geometric accuracy of photogrammetric products [40], and the camera calibration [41,42])
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