Analysis of the impacts on the quality of UAV photogrammetric products

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles, equipped with various sensors and devices, are increasingly used to acquire geospatial data in geodesy, geoinformatics, and environmental studies. In this context, a new research and professional field has been developed – UAV photogrammetry – dealing with photogrammetry data acquisition and data processing, acquired by unmanned aerial vehicles. In this study, we analyse the selected factors that impact the quality of data provided using UAV photogrammetry, with the focus on positional accuracy; they are discussed in three groups: (a) factors related to the camera properties and the quality of images; (b) factors related to the mission planning and execution; and (c) factors related to the indirect georeferencing of images using ground control points. These selected factors are analysed based on the detailed review of relevant scientific publications. Additionally, the influence of the number of ground control points and their spatial distribution on point clouds' positional accuracy has been investigated for the case study. As the conclusion, key findings and recommendations for UAV photogrammetric projects are given; we have highlighted the importance of suitable lighting and weather conditions when performing UAV missions for spatial data acquisition, quality equipment, appropriate parameters of UAV data acquisition, and a sufficient number of ground control points, which should be determined with the appropriate positional accuracy and their correct distribution in the field.