The direct geo-referencing of sensors based on a combination of relative kinematic GPS-positioning and inertial measurement units (IMU) has reached a high accuracy level and growing application. It includes the advantage of a very flexible use, independent upon control points which are only required for the system calibration and independent upon block or strip configurations. It is in use in a...

The use of archival or historical photography for photogrammetric purposes often involves a lack of data concerning the aerial cameras employed, difficulties in identifying control points on the photos and inappropriate conservation of the photography. When camera calibration parameters are unknown, they should be estimated by means of a self-calibrating bundle adjustment. Several calibration m...

Methods for accurately measuring biophysical parameters are a key component for quantitative evaluation regarding to various forest applications. Conventional in situ measurements of these parameters take time and expense, encountering difficultness at locations with heterogeneous microtopography. To obtain precise biophysical data in such situations, we deployed an unmanned aerial system (UAS)...

In this paper, we discuss a geographical methodology supported by specific geo-technologies which we are testing for the study of territories damaged by the L’Aquila earthquake of 6 April 2009 and which can be used in similar situations. Subsequently, we provide an overview of the current situation and make a comparison between some aerial photographs obtained from an overflight in March 2012 a...

The USDA Forest Service, through its Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program, periodically estimates forest/non-forest area at the county level using aerial photographs. Satellite-based remotely sensed data and digital image processing techniques could substantially reduce the time required to generate this information. Satellites collect data on a repeat basis and with higher frequency tha...

Traditional manned airborne surveys are usually expensive and the resolution of the acquired images is often limited. The main advantage of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) system acting as a photogrammetric sensor platform over more traditional manned airborne system is the high flexibility that allows image acquisition from unconventional viewpoints, the low cost in comparison with classical aer...