CANADIAN AND U.S. COOPERATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR EMERGING MAPPING TECHNOLOGIES

摘要

The mapping community is witnessing significant advances in available sensors, such as medium format digital cameras (MFDC) and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) systems. In this regard, the Digital Photogrammetry Research Group (DPRG) of the Department of Geomatics Engineering at the University of Calgary has been actively involved in the development of standards and specifications for regulating the use of these sensors in mapping activities. More specifically, the DPRG has been working on developing new techniques for the calibration and stability analysis of medium format digital cameras. This research is essential since these sensors have not been developed with mapping applications in mind. Therefore, prior to their use in Geomatics actives, new standards should be developed to ensure the quality of the developed products. In another front, the persistent improvement in direct geo-referencing technology has led to an expansion in the use of LiDAR systems for the acquisition of dense and accurate surface information. However, the processing of the raw LiDAR data (e.g., ranges, mirror angles, and navigation data) remains a non-transparent process that is proprietary to the manufacturers of LiDAR systems. Therefore, the DPRG has been focusing on the development of quality control procedures to quantify the accuracy of LiDAR output in the absence of initial system measurements. This paper presents a summary of the research conducted by the DPRG together with the British Columbia Base Mapping and Geomatic Services (BMGS) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) for the development of quality assurance and quality control procedures for emerging mapping technologies. The outcome of this research will allow for the possibility of introducing North American Standards and Specifications to regulate the use of MFDC and LiDAR systems in the mapping industry.