Analysis of Interpolation Methods for Kinematic DGPS Control in Aerial Photogrammetry

Kinematic differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) positioning is routinely used in industry for directly observing an aircraft's position at each instant of photographic exposure during a photogammetric survey. A critical aspect of the subsequent data processing is estimation of the aircraft position at the exact time of exposure. GPS measurements are acquired at a uniform sampling rate, typically 1 Hz. The exposure times, however, do not generally coincide with these times. As a result, the exposure station positions must be interpolated from the adjacent GPS positions. This is typically done using a low-order polynomial, expressed as a function of time, for each coordinate dimension. However, trajectory perturbations induced by atmospheric turbulence can render such interpolation methods ineffective.This article will convey the results of an investigation into the use of several different interpolation models with airborne GPS data during straight, level flight. The fundamental task of time series reconstruction will first be addressed, in which several possible interpolation models are described. Two 10-Hz, airborne GPS data sets were collected to test the accuracy of each model. The error properties resulting from the application of each model to these data will be presented and analyzed in terms of time-domain statistics and frequency-domain characteristids. It will be demonstrated that interpolation error can be significantly reduced, especially in the height dimension, through judicious choice of an interpolator. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.