Ortho-rectification of a Digital Aerial Image using LiDAR-derived Elevation Model in Forested Area

The quality of orthoimages mainly depends on the elevation information and exterior orientation (EO) parameters. Since LiDAR data directly provides the elevation information over the earth’s surface including buildings and trees, the concept of true orthorectification has been rapidly developed and implemented. If a LiDAR-driven digital surface model (DSM) is used for orthorectification, the displacements caused by trees and buildings are effectively removed when compared with the conventional orthoimages processed with a digital elevation model (DEM). This study utilized LiDAR data to generate orthorectified digital aerial images. Experimental orthoimages were produced using digital terrain model (DTM) and DSM. For the preparation of orthorectification, EO components, one of the inputs for orthorectification, were adjusted with the ground control points (GCPs) collected from the LiDAR point data, and the ground points were extracted by a filtering method used in a previous research. The orthoimage generated by DSM corresponded more closely to non-ground LiDAR points than the orthoimage produced by DTM.