Application of Postprocessing Kinematic Methods with UAS Remote Sensing in Forest Ecosystems. Issue 5 (22nd April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Miller, Zachary M; Hupy, Joseph; Chandrasekaran, Aishwarya; Shao, Guofan; Fei, Songlin
• Is Part Of: Journal of forestry. Volume 119:Issue 5(2021)
• Page Start: 454
• Page End: 466
• Publication Date: 2021-04-22
• Subjects: digital forestry -- UAS -- PPK -- GCP -- forest inventory -- aerial survey -- remote sensing; Forests and forestry -- Periodicals; Forests and forestry -- Societies, etc; Forests and forestry -- Terminology; Forests and forestry; Forests and forestry -- Societies, etc; Periodicals; Terminology; 634.905
• DOI: 10.1093/jofore/fvab021
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-1201

Abstract

Abstract: Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) serve as an excellent remote-sensing platform to fulfill an aerial imagery data collection niche previously unattainable in forestry by satellites and manned aircraft. However, for UAS-derived data to be spatially representative, a precise network of ground control points (GCP) is often required, which can be tedious and limit the logistical benefits of UAS rapid deployment capabilities, especially in densely forested areas. Therefore, methods for efficient data collection without GCPs are highly desired in UAS remote sensing. Here, we demonstrate the use of postprocessing kinematic (PPK) technology to obtain subcentimeter precision in datasets of forested areas without the need for placing GCPs. We evaluated two key measures, positional variability and time efficiency, of the PPK technology by comparing them to traditional GCP methods. Results show that PPK displays consistently higher positional precision than traditional GCP approaches. Moreover, PPK surveys and processing take less time to complete than traditional GCP methods and require fewer logistical steps, especially in image acquisition. The time and resource savings with PPK as compared to GCP processing are undeniable. We conclude that PPK technology provides a practical means to produce precise aerial forest surveys.