| Peer-Reviewed

Very High Resolution Mapping with the Pléiades Satellite Constellation

Received: 16 August 2018     Accepted: 30 November 2018     Published: 24 December 2018
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

The Pléiades satellite constellation provides very high resolution multi-spectral optical data at a ground sampling distance of about 0.7 m at nadir direction. Due to the highly agile pointing angle capacity in the range of ±47 degrees the sensors are optimal for detailed earth observation. They are able to collect stereo and tri-stereo datasets in one overflight with a swath width of 20 km. Such images allow 3D mapping of any region on the Earth’s surface at very high resolution with high accuracy, where the reconstruction of the heights is based on along-track stereo. This work presents methodologies and workflows within the fields of remote sensing and computer vision that are used (1) to densely reconstruct digital surface models (DSM), (2) to derive digital terrain models (DTM), and (3) to generate multi-spectral ortho-rectified products. Within this process, the accuracy of the geometric sensor models, given as rational polynomial coefficient (RPC) models, plays a crucial role. Therefore, an assessment is performed on two distinct test sites discussing the initial 2D geo-location accuracy of the given sensor models. An optimization scheme is presented to adjust the given RPC models yielding 3D geo-location accuracies of 0.5 m in planimetry and 1 m in height. In the frame of surface model generation important issues like epipolar rectification, hierarchical stereo matching, and fusion of heights are reported. The main outcomes are that the sensor accuracy is within the range as defined by Astrium, but that a sensor model optimization is obligatory when it comes to highly accurate 3D mapping. The presented workflow generates mapping products with a GSD of 0.5m. The derived DSMs and DTMs show a high level of detail, thus enabling varying applications on a large scale, like land cover and land use classification, change detection, city modelling, or forest assessment.

Published in American Journal of Remote Sensing (Volume 6, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajrs.20180602.14
Page(s) 89-99
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2018. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Pléiades, Sensor Model, Accuracy Analysis, 3D Mapping, Digital Surface Model, Digital Terrain Model

References
[1] Astrium (2012). Pleiades Imagery User Guide, V2.0. 118 pages.
[2] D. Poli, F. Remondino, E. Angiuli, and G. Agugiaro (2013). Evaluation of Pleiades-1A triplet on Trento Testfield. ISPRS Hannover Workshop, pp. 287-292.
[3] A. Gleyzes, L. Perret, and E. Cazala-Houcade (2013). Pleiades system fully operational in orbit. In EARSeL Symposium, number 33.
[4] H. Raggam (2006). Surface mapping using image triplets - Case studies and benefit assessment in comparison to stereo image processing. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing, Vol. 72, Number 5, pp. 551-563.
[5] H. J. Persson, and R. Perko. Assessment of boreal forest height from WorldView-2 satellite stereo images. Remote Sensing Letters, 7 (12): 1150-1159, 2016.
[6] L. Himmelreich (2017). DHM Ableitungen aus Pléiades Tri-Stereo Satellitenbildern im Hochgebirge. Digitale Höhenmodelle verschiedener Softwareprodukte im Vergleich zu ALS Daten. Master Thesis, University of Innsbruck.
[7] R. Perko, H. Raggam, K. H. Gutjahr, and M. Schardt (2011). Using worldwide available TerraSAR-X data to calibrate the geo-location accuracy of optical sensors. In IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, pages 2551-2554.
[8] P. Reinartz, R. Müller, P. Schwind, S. Suri, and R. Bamler (2011). Orthorectification of VHR optical satellite data exploiting the geometric accuracy of TerraSAR-X data. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 66 (1), 124-132.
[9] K. Jacobsen, and H. Topan (2015). DEM generation with short base length Pleaides triplets. Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XL-3/W2, 81-86.
[10] G. Dial, and J. Grodecki (2002). Block adjustment with rational polynomial camera models. In ASCM-ASPRS Annual Conventions.
[11] P. J. Åstrand, M. Bongiorni, M. Crespi, F. Fratarcangeli, J. N. Da Costa, F. Pieralice, and A. Walczynska (2012). The potential of WorldView-2 for ortho-image production within the “Control with Remote Sensing Programme” of the European Commission. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 19, 335-347.
[12] M. A. Aguilar, M. del Mar Saldaña, and F. J. Aguilar (2014). Generation and quality assessment of stereo-extracted DSM from GeoEye-1 and WorldView-2 imagery. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 52 (2), 1259-1271.
[13] C. S. Fraser, and H. Hanley (2003). Bias compensation in rational functions for IKONOS satellite imagery. Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, 69 (1): 53-57.
[14] P. d’Angelo (2014). Assessing Multi-Angular Pleiades Data over Melbourne. In Pléiades Days.
[15] K. H. Gutjahr, R. Perko, H. Raggam, and M. Schardt (2014). The epipolarity constraint in stereo-radargrammetric DEM generation. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, vol. 52 (8), pp. 5014-5022.
[16] H. Hirschmüller (2008). Stereo processing by semi-global matching and Mutual Information, IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, vol. 30 (2), pp. 328-341.
[17] R. Perko, H. Raggam, K. H. Gutjahr, and M. Schardt (2014). Assessment of the mapping potential of Pleiades stereo and triplet data. ISPRS Annals of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, volume II-3, pages 103-109.
[18] M. Wang, F. Hu, and J. Li (2011). Epipolar resampling of linear pushbroom satellite imagery by a new epipolarity model, ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, vol. 66, no. 3, pp. 347–355.
[19] D. Scharstein, and R. Szeliski (2002). A taxonomy and evaluation of dense two frame stereo correspondence algorithms, International. Journal of Computer Vision, vol. 47, no. 1-3, pp. 7–42.
[20] W. S. Fife, and J. K Archibald (2013). Improved census transforms for resource-optimized stereo vision. IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology, 23 (1), 60-73.
[21] M. Rumpler, A. Wendel, and H. Bischof (2013). Probabilistic range image integration for DSM and true-orthophoto generation. Scandinavian Conference on Image Analysis, pp 533-544.
[22] R. Perko, and Ch. Zach (2016). Globally optimal robust DSM fusion. European Journal of Remote Sensing, 49: 489-511.
[23] T. Pock, L. Zebedin, and H. Bischof (2011). Rainbow of computer science. chapter TGV-fusion, pp. 245-258, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg.
[24] F. Leberl, M. Gruber, M. Ponticelli, S. Bernögger, and R. Perko (2003). The UltraCam large format aerial digital camera system. In American Society for Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing.
[25] R. Perko, H. Raggam, K. H. Gutjahr, and M. Schardt (2015). Advanced DTM generation from very high resolution satellite stereo images. In ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, volume II-3/W4, pages 165-172.
[26] X. Meng, L. Wang, J. L. Silván-Cárdenas, and N. Currit (2009). A multi-directional ground filtering algorithm for airborne LIDAR, ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 64 (1), pp. 117-124.
[27] A. Stumpf, J. P. Malet, P. Allemand, and P. Ulrich (2014). Surface reconstruction and landslide displacement measurements with Pléiades satellite images. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 95, pp. 1-12.
[28] E. Berthier, C. Vincent, E. Magnússon, Á. Gunnlaugsson, P. Pitte, E. Le Meur, M. Masiokas, L. Ruiz, F. Pálsson, J. M. C. Belart, and P. Wagnon (2014). Glacier topography and elevation changes from Pléiades very high resolution stereo images. The Cryosphere Discuss., 8, pp. 4849-4883.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Roland Perko, Hannes Raggam, Mathias Schardt, Peter Michael Roth. (2018). Very High Resolution Mapping with the Pléiades Satellite Constellation. American Journal of Remote Sensing, 6(2), 89-99. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajrs.20180602.14

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Roland Perko; Hannes Raggam; Mathias Schardt; Peter Michael Roth. Very High Resolution Mapping with the Pléiades Satellite Constellation. Am. J. Remote Sens. 2018, 6(2), 89-99. doi: 10.11648/j.ajrs.20180602.14

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Roland Perko, Hannes Raggam, Mathias Schardt, Peter Michael Roth. Very High Resolution Mapping with the Pléiades Satellite Constellation. Am J Remote Sens. 2018;6(2):89-99. doi: 10.11648/j.ajrs.20180602.14

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ajrs.20180602.14,
      author = {Roland Perko and Hannes Raggam and Mathias Schardt and Peter Michael Roth},
      title = {Very High Resolution Mapping with the Pléiades Satellite Constellation},
      journal = {American Journal of Remote Sensing},
      volume = {6},
      number = {2},
      pages = {89-99},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajrs.20180602.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajrs.20180602.14},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajrs.20180602.14},
      abstract = {The Pléiades satellite constellation provides very high resolution multi-spectral optical data at a ground sampling distance of about 0.7 m at nadir direction. Due to the highly agile pointing angle capacity in the range of ±47 degrees the sensors are optimal for detailed earth observation. They are able to collect stereo and tri-stereo datasets in one overflight with a swath width of 20 km. Such images allow 3D mapping of any region on the Earth’s surface at very high resolution with high accuracy, where the reconstruction of the heights is based on along-track stereo. This work presents methodologies and workflows within the fields of remote sensing and computer vision that are used (1) to densely reconstruct digital surface models (DSM), (2) to derive digital terrain models (DTM), and (3) to generate multi-spectral ortho-rectified products. Within this process, the accuracy of the geometric sensor models, given as rational polynomial coefficient (RPC) models, plays a crucial role. Therefore, an assessment is performed on two distinct test sites discussing the initial 2D geo-location accuracy of the given sensor models. An optimization scheme is presented to adjust the given RPC models yielding 3D geo-location accuracies of 0.5 m in planimetry and 1 m in height. In the frame of surface model generation important issues like epipolar rectification, hierarchical stereo matching, and fusion of heights are reported. The main outcomes are that the sensor accuracy is within the range as defined by Astrium, but that a sensor model optimization is obligatory when it comes to highly accurate 3D mapping. The presented workflow generates mapping products with a GSD of 0.5m. The derived DSMs and DTMs show a high level of detail, thus enabling varying applications on a large scale, like land cover and land use classification, change detection, city modelling, or forest assessment.},
     year = {2018}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Very High Resolution Mapping with the Pléiades Satellite Constellation
    AU  - Roland Perko
    AU  - Hannes Raggam
    AU  - Mathias Schardt
    AU  - Peter Michael Roth
    Y1  - 2018/12/24
    PY  - 2018
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajrs.20180602.14
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajrs.20180602.14
    T2  - American Journal of Remote Sensing
    JF  - American Journal of Remote Sensing
    JO  - American Journal of Remote Sensing
    SP  - 89
    EP  - 99
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-580X
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajrs.20180602.14
    AB  - The Pléiades satellite constellation provides very high resolution multi-spectral optical data at a ground sampling distance of about 0.7 m at nadir direction. Due to the highly agile pointing angle capacity in the range of ±47 degrees the sensors are optimal for detailed earth observation. They are able to collect stereo and tri-stereo datasets in one overflight with a swath width of 20 km. Such images allow 3D mapping of any region on the Earth’s surface at very high resolution with high accuracy, where the reconstruction of the heights is based on along-track stereo. This work presents methodologies and workflows within the fields of remote sensing and computer vision that are used (1) to densely reconstruct digital surface models (DSM), (2) to derive digital terrain models (DTM), and (3) to generate multi-spectral ortho-rectified products. Within this process, the accuracy of the geometric sensor models, given as rational polynomial coefficient (RPC) models, plays a crucial role. Therefore, an assessment is performed on two distinct test sites discussing the initial 2D geo-location accuracy of the given sensor models. An optimization scheme is presented to adjust the given RPC models yielding 3D geo-location accuracies of 0.5 m in planimetry and 1 m in height. In the frame of surface model generation important issues like epipolar rectification, hierarchical stereo matching, and fusion of heights are reported. The main outcomes are that the sensor accuracy is within the range as defined by Astrium, but that a sensor model optimization is obligatory when it comes to highly accurate 3D mapping. The presented workflow generates mapping products with a GSD of 0.5m. The derived DSMs and DTMs show a high level of detail, thus enabling varying applications on a large scale, like land cover and land use classification, change detection, city modelling, or forest assessment.
    VL  - 6
    IS  - 2
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Institute for Information and Communication Technologies, Joanneum Research, Graz, Austria

  • Institute for Information and Communication Technologies, Joanneum Research, Graz, Austria

  • Institute for Information and Communication Technologies, Joanneum Research, Graz, Austria

  • Institute of Computer Graphics and Vision, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria

  • Sections