A Study of Trajectory Models for Satellite Image Triangulation

TLDR

Spaceborne imagery products come with diverse metadata, requiring a compatible physical sensor model, and the construction of trajectory models is tightly linked to the type and availability of support data. This study demonstrates how trajectory models can be implemented using support data from six satellite image types: QuickBird, Hyperion, SPOT‑3, ASTER, PRISM, and EROS‑A. For each image, triangulation was performed to assess the feasibility and suitability of various trajectory models, using numerous high‑quality ground control points. The results indicate that some simple models are effective, but careful use of dense ephemeris information is necessary.

Abstract

Many Spaceborne imagery products are provided with metadata or support data having diverse types, representations, frequencies, and conventions. According to the variability of metadata, a compatible physical sensor model approach must be constructed. Among the three components of the sensor model, i.e., trajectory model, projection equations, and parameter subset selection, the construction of the position and attitude trajectory is closely linked with the availability and type of support data. In this paper, we show how trajectory models can be implemented based on support data from six satellite image types: QuickBird, Hyperion, SPOT-3, ASTER, PRISM, and EROS-A. Triangulation for each image is implemented to investigate the feasibility and suitability of the different trajectory models. The results show the effectiveness of some of the simple models while indicating that careful use of dense ephemeris information is necessary. These results are based on having a number of high quality ground control points.