Direct Exterior Orientation of Airborne Imagery with GPS/INS System: Performance Analysis

Integrating GPS with an inertial navigation system (INS) allows for direct image georeferencing, offering the possibility of relaxing the demand for aerial triangulation in airborne surveying/mapping. This paper reviews the performance of the prototype Airborne Integrated Mapping System (AIMS™), based on GPS/INS/CCD (charge-coupled device) integration, developed by The Ohio State University Center for Mapping. A brief description of the essential features of the integrated system and its practical implementation is presented. The performance of AIMS™ is assessed primarily on the basis of photogrammetric processing of 1:6,000 large-scale aerial imagery considered as a truth reference. An accuracy analysis and discussion of the impact of direct orientation and multisensor system calibration on the photogrammetric data extraction process are also presented.