Understanding the errors in input prescription maps based on high spatial resolution remote sensing images

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the positional accuracy of GeoEye-1 images and how it affects the delineation of the input prescription map (IPM) for site-specific strategies. Seven panchromatic and multi-spectral GeoEye-1 satellite images were taken over the LaVentilla village area (Andalusia, Spain), from April to October 2010, at an interval of approximately 3-4 weeks. Sixteen hard-edge ground control points (GCPs) were geo-referenced using a sub-decimetre DGPS. Each DGPS-GCP position was compared with the corresponding co-ordinates for each image to determine the position error (PE) and error direction angle (Φ ge °). The PE and Φ ge ° for each GCP varied slightly for any given GeoEye-1 image and the overall PE among images estimated through the root mean square error (RMSE) varied considerably. RMSE ranged from approximately 2-9 m and from 3. 5 to 9 m for the panchromatic and multi-spectral images studied, respectively, and the average was approximately 6. 0 m for each of the series of images. Consequently, the geo-referencing of GeoEye-1 images is recommended to increase the positioning accuracy. Conventional geo-referencing using GCPs provided an average RMSE of 2 m for the panchromatic and 3. 5 m for the multi-spectral images. The AUGEO System ® geo-referencing of the 4-May GeoEye-1 image provided an RMSE of 0. 75 m for the panchromatic and 2. 70 ± 1. 30 m for the multi-spectral images. The IPM delineated from remote-sensed images takes up the image geo-referencing error and, consequently, each micro-plot does not coincide with its corresponding ground-truth micro-plot. In this report, the percentage of non-overlapping area (%NOA) has been developed as a function of the PE/RMSE, α° (the angle between Φ ge and the operating direction, Φ op), and the micro-plot size. The %NOA consistently increased as the RMSE and α° increased, and it decreased as the micro-plot width or length increased. The decision about micro-plot size should be based on the RMSE, α°, and the maximum admissible %NOA. In the case of the GeoEye-1 images studied with an average RMSE of 6 m, a micro-plot size of 6 × 30 m would have yielded an IPM inaccuracy (%NOA) of approximately 5 %, assuming an α° = 0°. © 2012 The Author(s).