Airborne GPS Performance during a Photogrammetric Project

Preliminary results obtained from the analysis of GPS data collected during an airborne photogrammetric project conducted in 1996 over the Island of Vulcano are described. The objective of this study is to determine an optimal processing procedure for obtaining high accuraacy projection center positions for large scale aerial photography applications. GPS measurements were collected using a multi antenna configuration both on the aircraft and on the ground. The performance of standard software for OTF differential kinematic processing was evaluated. In order to use redundant information both rigorous combination of independently computed solutions and simultaneous adjustment of GPS observation from multiple reference stations and mobile receiver were performed. GPS-derived camera projection centers are compared to the results from a aerotriangulation adjustment results. The results indicate that the GPS data can be helpful to preserve the accuracy level when there is a lack of ground control points.