High accuracy UAV photogrammetry of ice sheet dynamics with no ground control
<jats:p>Abstract. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Structure from Motion with Multi-View Stereo (SfM-MVS) photogrammetry are increasingly common tools for geoscience applications, but final product accuracy can be significantly diminished in the absence of a dense and well-distributed netwo...
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ftunivcam:oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/298281 2024-01-14T10:07:03+01:00 High accuracy UAV photogrammetry of ice sheet dynamics with no ground control Chudley, Thomas R Christoffersen, Poul Doyle, Samuel H Abellan, Antonio Snooke, Neal 2018-12-10 application/pdf https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/298281 https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.45336 eng eng Copernicus GmbH http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/tc-2018-256 The Cryosphere Discussions https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/298281 doi:10.17863/CAM.45336 Attribution 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 37 Earth Sciences 4013 Geomatic Engineering 3709 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience 40 Engineering Article 2018 ftunivcam https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.45336 2023-12-21T23:29:50Z <jats:p>Abstract. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Structure from Motion with Multi-View Stereo (SfM-MVS) photogrammetry are increasingly common tools for geoscience applications, but final product accuracy can be significantly diminished in the absence of a dense and well-distributed network of ground control points (GCPs). This is problematic in inaccessible or hazardous field environments, including highly crevassed glaciers, where implementing suitable GCP networks would be logistically difficult if not impossible. To overcome this challenge, we present an alternative geolocation approach known as GNSS-supported aerial triangulation (GNSS-AT). Here, an on-board carrier-phase GNSS receiver is used to determine the location of photo acquisitions using kinematic differential carrier-phase positioning. The camera positions can be used as the geospatial input to the photogrammetry process. We describe the implementation of this method in a low-cost, custom-built UAV, and apply the method in a glaciological setting at Store Glacier in West Greenland. We validate the technique at the calving front, achieving topographic uncertainties of ±0.07 m horizontally and ±0.14 m vertically when flying at an altitude of ~ 450 m a.s.l. This compares favourably with previous GCP-derived uncertainties in glacial environments, and allowed us to apply the SfM-MVS photogrammetry at an inland study site where ice flows at 2 m day−1 and where stable ground control is not available. Here, we were able to produce, without the use of GCPs, the first UAV-derived velocity fields of an ice sheet interior. Given the growing use of UAVs and SfM-MVS in glaciology and the geosciences, GNSS-AT will be of interest to those wishing to use UAV photogrammetry to obtain high-precision measurements of topographic change in contexts where GCP collection is logistically constrained. </jats:p> Article in Journal/Newspaper glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository Greenland |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository |
op_collection_id |
ftunivcam |
language |
English |
topic |
37 Earth Sciences 4013 Geomatic Engineering 3709 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience 40 Engineering |
spellingShingle |
37 Earth Sciences 4013 Geomatic Engineering 3709 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience 40 Engineering Chudley, Thomas R Christoffersen, Poul Doyle, Samuel H Abellan, Antonio Snooke, Neal High accuracy UAV photogrammetry of ice sheet dynamics with no ground control |
topic_facet |
37 Earth Sciences 4013 Geomatic Engineering 3709 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience 40 Engineering |
description |
<jats:p>Abstract. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Structure from Motion with Multi-View Stereo (SfM-MVS) photogrammetry are increasingly common tools for geoscience applications, but final product accuracy can be significantly diminished in the absence of a dense and well-distributed network of ground control points (GCPs). This is problematic in inaccessible or hazardous field environments, including highly crevassed glaciers, where implementing suitable GCP networks would be logistically difficult if not impossible. To overcome this challenge, we present an alternative geolocation approach known as GNSS-supported aerial triangulation (GNSS-AT). Here, an on-board carrier-phase GNSS receiver is used to determine the location of photo acquisitions using kinematic differential carrier-phase positioning. The camera positions can be used as the geospatial input to the photogrammetry process. We describe the implementation of this method in a low-cost, custom-built UAV, and apply the method in a glaciological setting at Store Glacier in West Greenland. We validate the technique at the calving front, achieving topographic uncertainties of ±0.07 m horizontally and ±0.14 m vertically when flying at an altitude of ~ 450 m a.s.l. This compares favourably with previous GCP-derived uncertainties in glacial environments, and allowed us to apply the SfM-MVS photogrammetry at an inland study site where ice flows at 2 m day−1 and where stable ground control is not available. Here, we were able to produce, without the use of GCPs, the first UAV-derived velocity fields of an ice sheet interior. Given the growing use of UAVs and SfM-MVS in glaciology and the geosciences, GNSS-AT will be of interest to those wishing to use UAV photogrammetry to obtain high-precision measurements of topographic change in contexts where GCP collection is logistically constrained. </jats:p> |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Chudley, Thomas R Christoffersen, Poul Doyle, Samuel H Abellan, Antonio Snooke, Neal |
author_facet |
Chudley, Thomas R Christoffersen, Poul Doyle, Samuel H Abellan, Antonio Snooke, Neal |
author_sort |
Chudley, Thomas R |
title |
High accuracy UAV photogrammetry of ice sheet dynamics with no ground control |
title_short |
High accuracy UAV photogrammetry of ice sheet dynamics with no ground control |
title_full |
High accuracy UAV photogrammetry of ice sheet dynamics with no ground control |
title_fullStr |
High accuracy UAV photogrammetry of ice sheet dynamics with no ground control |
title_full_unstemmed |
High accuracy UAV photogrammetry of ice sheet dynamics with no ground control |
title_sort |
high accuracy uav photogrammetry of ice sheet dynamics with no ground control |
publisher |
Copernicus GmbH |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/298281 https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.45336 |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
glacier Greenland Ice Sheet |
genre_facet |
glacier Greenland Ice Sheet |
op_relation |
https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/298281 doi:10.17863/CAM.45336 |
op_rights |
Attribution 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.45336 |
_version_ |
1788061459544014848 |