Geospatial Accuracy of Small Unmanned Airborne System Data in the Coastal Environment

Determining the performance of image processing software could lead to better data collection strategy.

Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Alexandria, Virginia

The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of commonly available COTS software to produce geometrically accurate orthometric mosaics and terrain models from low-altitude UAS imagery.

The coastal zone is a dynamic environment that requires temporal monitoring from flexible remote sensing tools. Changing weather, winds, and tides introduce difficulties when attempting to use sensors that are constrained by schedule to include satellite overflight or aircraft with hard collection dates and times. However, these collection requirements are well suited for small unmanned airborne system (UAS) platforms that can be deployed and made operational with minimal notice. Additionally, the low collection altitude, combined with short focal length imagers (often integrated into these small UAS platforms) are capable of producing very high spatial resolution horizontal and vertical data. These data have direct application for addressing many of the questions associated with coastal environments including beach and dune erosion, wetland conditions, impervious surface mapping, and species composition/health.