Kite aerial photography and ESRI ArcGIS Pro: An effective remote sensing workflow

Abstract:

Remote sensing techniques are becoming easier to implement into regular scientific monitoring operations as a means for point measurement interpolation across large study areas. With the help of NASA Wallops and the AEROKATS program, Assateague Island National Seashore developed a technique using kite aerial photography to acquire aerial imagery of the barrier island landscape. Photogrammetric processing of aerial imagery used ArcGIS Pro, a GIS software that is accessible to the Department of the Interior and widely used by members of the GIS community. Ground control point measurements within the study area were surveyed to sub-centimeter accuracy with real-time kinetic GNSS positioning and generated a three-dimensional elevation model of the dune topography. Model elevation values range from -0.079 meters to 7.0 meters NAVD88 and average a difference of 0.15 meters compared to 2016 USGS LiDAR data. Model values deviate most outside of ground control survey, and it is assumed that improved ground control distribution could improve accuracy. Imagery collected at nadir with <80% overlap drastically diminished distortion errors and permitted reasonable processing times. With practice, data collection and processing can be achieved from start to finish within a day.