System concept and results of the Canadian Aerial Hydrography Pilot Project

Abstract

The Canadian program for obtaining hydrographic data by aerial methods consists of merging laser bathymeter data with photogrammetric depth data. The main deficiency of the photogrammetric approach for bathymetric measurements is that incomplete stereomodels can occur in areas where little or no land appears. This problem is overcome by using an inertial navigation system (INS) hardmounted to the aerial camera to provide the orientation parameters of position and attitude for each photograph. In order to meet the high accuracy requirement, the INS and other complementary navigation data are processed through a post‐mission track recovery software package. The photogrammetric depths are improved further by merging them with the waterline height information and the laser bathymeter depths using a least‐squares adjustment algorithm. The photogrammetric compilation, depth measurements, shoreline plots, and laser bathymeter integration is done in an analytical stereoplotter. This instrument provides an on‐line refraction correction necessary because of the two‐media mode of operation. Results of a recent pilot project indicate that the integrated system is capable of obtaining depth measurements that agree with echo sounder depth measurements to a precision of .65 m (RMS), and that it can position measured depths to a precision of .74 m (RMS) relative to local control.