Comparison of Free and Commercial Software in the Processing of Data Obtained from Non-Metric Cameras

Abstract

The main goal of the work was an attempt to compare the free and commercial photogrammetry software for processing the pictures taken with a camera drone, a traditional digital camera and a smartphone. Due to a wide range of programs on the market, four were selected for comparison (Agisoft Metashape, DroneDeploy, VisualSfM, COLMAP). Their brief description was presented, and then the photos were processed in each of them. Three sets of photographs were used for the processing (part of a residential area, photos of a building, and photos of a tree trunk). As a result, the capabilities of the selected applications were presented on the basis of various input data. Not every program was able to deliver all the desired products. Moreover, they differ depending on the software. The commercial applications have more functionalities. On the other hand, the open-source solutions allow for the development of algorithms. Working in any environment had its own characteristics. The selected applications were compared on the basis of the processing and the results obtained. Due to many aspects of their evaluation, it turned out that the research topic was very extensive. Moreover, it was found that it is very difficult to make an objective statement of the tested programs, because the same program can be scored differently, depending on the user’s needs, capabilities and knowledge.