Automating geographically referenced digital mosaics from aerial videography with area based feature matching

Abstract

Resource managers are frequently in need of high resolution imagery within short turn-around periods. Videography provides a source for such data. Current videographic capabilities are limited by the narrow field of view of the sensor and the lack of geographic reference. However, through automated processing, digital mosaics overcome videography's narrow field of view while maintaining high resolution and large scale. Aerial videography has several advantages over conventional photographic and satellite remote sensing data. Photographic processing costs and time are virtually eliminated, and unlike pushbroom type scanners, stereo coverage is achieved in each single flight line. Using dynamic GPS (global positioning system) locators with videography, it is possible to generate geo-referenced images. Upon capturing these images in digital form, machine vision area matching procedures provide the capability to generate automated digital mosaics with multiple geo-referenced anchor points. The project integrates aerial videography, geographic referencing systems, and area based feature matching to produce a system able to generate referenced mosaics of contiguous videographic images.