Accuracy of UAV-Based Digital Elevation Models

Abstract

UAV photogrammetry has simplified the measurement of the terrain's surface; however, the accuracy of the method is still a matter of research as it depends on multiple factors such as the UAV employed and the decisions made by the user during information acquisition and processing. This chapter analyses the accuracy of 27 digital elevation models (DEMs) built from the data acquired with a DJI Phantom 3 drone, which was flown at different heights and trajectories in a case study in the Colombian Department of Antioquia. The statistical analysis confirmed that the use of ground control points (GCPs) is fundamental to increase the accuracy of the map products. It also showed that accuracy, understood as the comparison between the coordinates of points measured in the field (CPs) with their corresponding values estimated in the orthophotomosaics, depends on the number of CPs and their location. An insufficient number of CPs or an inadequate distribution, for instance all or most of them located in a single land cover, will cause the accuracy to be overestimated.