Resolving Fine-Scale Surface Features on Polar Sea Ice: A First Assessment of UAS Photogrammetry Without Ground Control
Mapping landfast sea ice at a fine spatial scale is not only meaningful for geophysical study, but is also of benefit for providing information about human activities upon it. The combination of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) with structure from motion (SfM) methods have already revolutionized the cu...
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ftunivnewcastle:oai:eprint.ncl.ac.uk:256500 2023-05-15T13:44:27+02:00 Resolving Fine-Scale Surface Features on Polar Sea Ice: A First Assessment of UAS Photogrammetry Without Ground Control Li T Zhang B Cheng X Westoby MJ Li Z Ma C Hui F Shokr M Liu Y Chen Z Zhai M Li X application/pdf https://eprint.ncl.ac.uk/fulltext.aspx?url=256500/643A465D-C968-44C1-A2EF-25A7E5A31589.pdf&pub_id=256500 unknown MDPIAG Remote Sensing Article ftunivnewcastle 2020-06-11T23:46:37Z Mapping landfast sea ice at a fine spatial scale is not only meaningful for geophysical study, but is also of benefit for providing information about human activities upon it. The combination of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) with structure from motion (SfM) methods have already revolutionized the current close-range Earth observation paradigm. To test their feasibility in characterizing the properties and dynamics of fast ice, three flights were carried out in the 2016–2017 austral summer during the 33rd Chinese National Antarctic Expedition (CHINARE), focusing on the area of the Prydz Bay in East Antarctica. Three-dimensional models and orthomosaics from three sorties were constructed from a total of 205 photos using Agisoft PhotoScan software. Logistical challenges presented by the terrain precluded the deployment of a dedicated ground control network; however, it was still possible to indirectly assess the performance of the photogrammetric products through an analysis of the statistics of the matching network, bundle adjustment, and Monte-Carlo simulation. Our results show that the matching networks are quite strong, given a sufficient number of feature points (mostly > 20,000) or valid matches (mostly > 1000). The largest contribution to the total error using our direct georeferencing approach is attributed to inaccuracies in the onboard position and orientation system (POS) records, especially in the vehicle height and yaw angle. On one hand, the 3D precision map reveals that planimetric precision is usually about one-third of the vertical estimate (typically 20 cm in the network centre). On the other hand, shape-only errors account for less than 5% for the X and Y dimensions and 20% for the Zdimension. To further illustrate the UAS’s capability, six representative surface features are selected and interpreted by sea ice experts. Finally, we offer pragmatic suggestions and guidelines for planning future UAS-SfM surveys without the use of ground control. The work represents a pioneering attempt to comprehensively assess UAS-SfM survey capability in fast ice environments, and could serve as a reference for future improvements. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Prydz Bay Sea ice Newcastle University Library ePrints Service Antarctic Austral East Antarctica Prydz Bay |
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Open Polar |
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Newcastle University Library ePrints Service |
op_collection_id |
ftunivnewcastle |
language |
unknown |
description |
Mapping landfast sea ice at a fine spatial scale is not only meaningful for geophysical study, but is also of benefit for providing information about human activities upon it. The combination of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) with structure from motion (SfM) methods have already revolutionized the current close-range Earth observation paradigm. To test their feasibility in characterizing the properties and dynamics of fast ice, three flights were carried out in the 2016–2017 austral summer during the 33rd Chinese National Antarctic Expedition (CHINARE), focusing on the area of the Prydz Bay in East Antarctica. Three-dimensional models and orthomosaics from three sorties were constructed from a total of 205 photos using Agisoft PhotoScan software. Logistical challenges presented by the terrain precluded the deployment of a dedicated ground control network; however, it was still possible to indirectly assess the performance of the photogrammetric products through an analysis of the statistics of the matching network, bundle adjustment, and Monte-Carlo simulation. Our results show that the matching networks are quite strong, given a sufficient number of feature points (mostly > 20,000) or valid matches (mostly > 1000). The largest contribution to the total error using our direct georeferencing approach is attributed to inaccuracies in the onboard position and orientation system (POS) records, especially in the vehicle height and yaw angle. On one hand, the 3D precision map reveals that planimetric precision is usually about one-third of the vertical estimate (typically 20 cm in the network centre). On the other hand, shape-only errors account for less than 5% for the X and Y dimensions and 20% for the Zdimension. To further illustrate the UAS’s capability, six representative surface features are selected and interpreted by sea ice experts. Finally, we offer pragmatic suggestions and guidelines for planning future UAS-SfM surveys without the use of ground control. The work represents a pioneering attempt to comprehensively assess UAS-SfM survey capability in fast ice environments, and could serve as a reference for future improvements. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Li T Zhang B Cheng X Westoby MJ Li Z Ma C Hui F Shokr M Liu Y Chen Z Zhai M Li X |
spellingShingle |
Li T Zhang B Cheng X Westoby MJ Li Z Ma C Hui F Shokr M Liu Y Chen Z Zhai M Li X Resolving Fine-Scale Surface Features on Polar Sea Ice: A First Assessment of UAS Photogrammetry Without Ground Control |
author_facet |
Li T Zhang B Cheng X Westoby MJ Li Z Ma C Hui F Shokr M Liu Y Chen Z Zhai M Li X |
author_sort |
Li T |
title |
Resolving Fine-Scale Surface Features on Polar Sea Ice: A First Assessment of UAS Photogrammetry Without Ground Control |
title_short |
Resolving Fine-Scale Surface Features on Polar Sea Ice: A First Assessment of UAS Photogrammetry Without Ground Control |
title_full |
Resolving Fine-Scale Surface Features on Polar Sea Ice: A First Assessment of UAS Photogrammetry Without Ground Control |
title_fullStr |
Resolving Fine-Scale Surface Features on Polar Sea Ice: A First Assessment of UAS Photogrammetry Without Ground Control |
title_full_unstemmed |
Resolving Fine-Scale Surface Features on Polar Sea Ice: A First Assessment of UAS Photogrammetry Without Ground Control |
title_sort |
resolving fine-scale surface features on polar sea ice: a first assessment of uas photogrammetry without ground control |
publisher |
MDPIAG |
url |
https://eprint.ncl.ac.uk/fulltext.aspx?url=256500/643A465D-C968-44C1-A2EF-25A7E5A31589.pdf&pub_id=256500 |
geographic |
Antarctic Austral East Antarctica Prydz Bay |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Austral East Antarctica Prydz Bay |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Prydz Bay Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Prydz Bay Sea ice |
op_source |
Remote Sensing |
_version_ |
1766201741337952256 |