Aaron Braun - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Aaron Braun

I would first and foremost like to thank my advisor, Jacob Schiff, for keeping me grounded and on... more I would first and foremost like to thank my advisor, Jacob Schiff, for keeping me grounded and on topic against all odds. I would to thank Harlan Wilson, for supporting me throughout my academic pursuits, and for teaching me how to write a political theory paper (against all odds). I would like to thank Sonia Kruks, whose insight and support has greatly informed my writing this year. And, I am grateful for my brilliant friends, who heroically put up with my rants and ravings for the last several months. Finally I would like to thank my family, in particular my parents, Jake and Shauna. Their radicalism has always set the bar for me as a critical thinker. I dedicate this project to them.

Proceedings of SPIE, May 1, 2017

This paper presents an overview of the Full Motion Video-Geopositioning Test Bed (FMV-GTB) develo... more This paper presents an overview of the Full Motion Video-Geopositioning Test Bed (FMV-GTB) developed to investigate algorithm performance and issues related to the registration of motion imagery and subsequent extraction of feature locations along with predicted accuracy. A case study is included corresponding to a video taken from a quadcopter. Registration of the corresponding video frames is performed without the benefit of a priori sensor attitude (pointing) information. In particular, tie points are automatically measured between adjacent frames using standard optical flow matching techniques from computer vision, an a priori estimate of sensor attitude is then computed based on supplied GPS sensor positions contained in the video metadata and a photogrammetric/search-based structure from motion algorithm, and then a Weighted Least Squares adjustment of all a priori metadata across the frames is performed. Extraction of absolute 3D feature locations, including their predicted accuracy based on the principles of rigorous error propagation, is then performed using a subset of the registered frames. Results are compared to known locations (check points) over a test site. Throughout this entire process, no external control information (e.g. surveyed points) is used other than for evaluation of solution errors and corresponding accuracy.

Proceedings of SPIE, May 21, 2015

In order to better understand the issues associated with Full Motion Video (FMV) geopositioning a... more In order to better understand the issues associated with Full Motion Video (FMV) geopositioning and to develop corresponding strategies and algorithms, an integrated test bed is required. It is used to evaluate the performance of various candidate algorithms associated with registration of the video frames and subsequent geopositioning using the registered frames. Major issues include reliable error propagation or predicted solution accuracy, optimal vs. suboptimal vs. divergent solutions, robust processing in the presence of poor or non-existent a priori estimates of sensor metadata, difficulty in the measurement of tie points between adjacent frames, poor imaging geometry including small field-of-view and little vertical relief, and no control (points). The test bed modules must be integrated with appropriate data flows between them. The test bed must also ingest/generate real and simulated data and support evaluation of corresponding performance based on module-internal metrics as well as comparisons to real or simulated “ground truth”. Selection of the appropriate modules and algorithms must be both operator specifiable and specifiable as automatic. An FMV test bed has been developed and continues to be improved with the above characteristics. The paper describes its overall design as well as key underlying algorithms, including a recent update to “A matrix” generation, which allows for the computation of arbitrary inter-frame error cross-covariance matrices associated with Kalman filter (KF) registration in the presence of dynamic state vector definition, necessary for rigorous error propagation when the contents/definition of the KF state vector changes due to added/dropped tie points. Performance of a tested scenario is also presented.

Proceedings of SPIE, May 16, 2013

Geolocation of objects or points of interest on the ground from airborne sensors is an enabler to... more Geolocation of objects or points of interest on the ground from airborne sensors is an enabler to support many useful purposes. While many commercial handheld cameras today perform rudimentary geo-tagging of images, few outside of commercial or military tactical airborne sensors have implemented the methods necessary to produce full three-dimensional coordinates as well as perform rigorous metric error propagation to estimate the uncertainties of those calculated coordinates. The critical ingredients for this fully metric capability include careful characterization of the sensor system, capturing and disseminating a complete metadata profile with the imagery, and having a validated sensor model to support the necessary transformations between the image space and the ground space. This paper describes important characteristics of metadata, the methods of geopositioning which can be applied, and including advantages and limitations. In addition, it will present the benefits of using active sensors and some recent efforts focusing on geopositioning from full-motion video (FMV) sensors.

Estimating the uncertainty or predicted accuracy of gridded products that are generated from hist... more Estimating the uncertainty or predicted accuracy of gridded products that are generated from historical bathymetric survey data is of high interest to the maritime navigation community. Surface interpolation methods used for gridding survey data in practice are well established. This paper investigates error estimation methods for gridded bathymetry in terms of their practical utility. Of particular interest are: 1) assessing the quality of a prior uncertainty of random error in survey data; 2) the significance of autocorrelated random errors; 3) the relationship between survey point density and propagated or product uncertainty; 4) the computational feasibility of Monte Carlo (MC) methods over large regions; and 5) the value of cross-validation to estimate error in the absence of controlled truth. K-fold cross-validation is used as the basis for performance evaluation of our approach to propagate a priori random errors via MC perturbation with spline-in-tension surface interpolation. Experiments are conducted with test areas in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard.

With the rapid growth of sensor platforms for imagery collection, from micro-unmanned aerial syst... more With the rapid growth of sensor platforms for imagery collection, from micro-unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to smart phones, an ability to geo-register image data is a fundamental need for many downstream applications. Approaches to georegistration for sensor imagery have deep roots in photogrammetry, and more recently with the integration of computer vision techniques. Georegistration solutions are increasingly sought for inexpensive and non-metric quality sensors and/or those that may lack the metadata needed to support rigorous coordinate transfer with error estimation. This indicates a range of solution quality, with situational awareness at one end, and rigorous accuracy at the other. There are a variety of correspondence and transformation models from which to select, with tradeoffs among simplicity, accuracy, and error estimation. The continually expanding vernacular of terms and methods can lead to confusion of application among the broader community of users. A sorting of representative terminology, processes, and techniques, is proposed as a framework. The goal is to motivate discussion for application guidelines.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Feb 28, 2018

Attached is a copy of the "Indiana High Accuracy Reference Network (HARN) Final Report". This rep... more Attached is a copy of the "Indiana High Accuracy Reference Network (HARN) Final Report". This report is a summary of the information gathered from the survey conducted by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS), Schneider Inc., and Woolpert, LLP for the High Accuracy Reference Network in Indiana. Also included is a copy of the station description and a location map of the HARN station(s) in your respective county. This report has three main areas of interest. First, a brief discussion on the need for the Indiana HARN and why this was an important task. Second, a summary of the details surrounding the Indiana HARN survey. Finally, the station description of the HARN point in your county is attached with a map of the general area surrounding this point. We have also included a discussion on monument preservation with tips on how keep the high accuracies associated with your point(s). Also, a section is included on how the HARN is being used in Indiana with a few success stories. We have included three tables listing all of the HARN points in Indiana organized in different ways for easy location. We encourage you to visit the web site we have dedicated to the Indiana HARN when conducting research for surveys in your county. Each point is listed with the station description and map, as in this report, but it also has the NGS Data Sheet with the current coordinates for each point. The web address is Located at http://bridge.ecn.purdue.edul-oisgal. The data sheets are accessed by clicking on the PID, and the station description is accessed by clicking on the four-character ID. It is our hope that your LPA will fmd this report useful and informative. We encourage you to use the web site for information on using the HARN or contact us with any questions concerning the HARN at the number listed below.

Our goal was to was to gather all the information that could be useful for the Indiana Counties a... more Our goal was to was to gather all the information that could be useful for the Indiana Counties and Cities, add our own experience and expertise, and place it in one report. These Guidelines are Jivided into three sections. The first section is the Guidelines. It gives information and suggestions on all aspects of snow and ice control. The second section is a template for a snow and ice control policy. The intent of this section is to give you a policy that is almost complete. You just need to fill in the blanks and check a few boxes that pertain to your county or city. We encourage you to add any information that is missing from this policy that would make it more specific

TerraSAR-X is an upcoming earth-observation mission equipped with a high-resolution radar sensor.... more TerraSAR-X is an upcoming earth-observation mission equipped with a high-resolution radar sensor. It is operated by the German Space Operation Center (GSOC) in Oberpfaffenhofen and demands a highly autonomous mission planning system, which satisfies the varying and diverging interests of the different parties involved: the German Space Research Center (DLR) and its German industrial partners (EADS / InfoTerra), forming a public-private-partnership. The mission planning system will autonomously process the expected five hundred incoming datatake requests per day, provide user feedback, schedule satellite datatakes as well as up- and downlinks to and from different ground stations and keep track of the available satellite resources. The need to split up fairly the satellite capabilities between the scientific community on the one hand and the commercial partners on the other hand naturally leads to conflicts of interest. Whereas conflicts between individual competing datatake requests are solved automatically making use of user-chosen priorities, the overall user behaviour influences deeply the predictability, stability and performance of the mission planning system. DLR/GSOC introduces an innovative strategic planning concept, which balances the interests between the different user groups and at the same time encourages the individual user to place orders that can be optimized by the system. As a side effect, this avoids senseless overloading of the mission planning system with unfeasible requests. Mission management and the strategic planning team allocate a quota of points to the different user communities each three months. For every request, the usage of this quota is calculated as a function of the datatake priority, the radar-mode, the time window and the time-point of order placement with respect to the first possible acquisition time. Once a user group exceeds their quota, the system accepts only low priority background tasks. The more the user limits the degrees of freedom of the order, the less the planning system is able to optimize the timeline and the higher is the quota usage. Together with powerful ordering-preview functionalities informing the user right from the beginning about quota demands and feasibility, limiting the number of datatakes helps the further mission planning process to concentrate on its main purpose: finding a feasible and optimal plan to stay within all resources and to perform a high percentage of all requests. User feedback mechanisms inform the users automatically about the status of their orders. 1. TerraSAR-X Mission Overview The upcoming high-resolution radar satellite mission TerraSAR-X makes high demands on its space as well as its ground segment. The German Space Operation Center (GSOC) in Oberpfaffenhofen, which is part of the German Space Research Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V., DLR), will operate TerraSAR-X during the envisaged mission time of 5 years. The TerraSAR-X project is financed by a public private partnership between DLR and EADS (Astrium / InfoTerra).

Geospatial Informatics, Fusion, and Motion Video Analytics V, 2015

In order to better understand the issues associated with Full Motion Video (FMV) geopositioning a... more In order to better understand the issues associated with Full Motion Video (FMV) geopositioning and to develop corresponding strategies and algorithms, an integrated test bed is required. It is used to evaluate the performance of various candidate algorithms associated with registration of the video frames and subsequent geopositioning using the registered frames. Major issues include reliable error propagation or predicted solution accuracy, optimal vs. suboptimal vs. divergent solutions, robust processing in the presence of poor or non-existent a priori estimates of sensor metadata, difficulty in the measurement of tie points between adjacent frames, poor imaging geometry including small field-of-view and little vertical relief, and no control (points). The test bed modules must be integrated with appropriate data flows between them. The test bed must also ingest/generate real and simulated data and support evaluation of corresponding performance based on module-internal metrics as well as comparisons to real or simulated “ground truth”. Selection of the appropriate modules and algorithms must be both operator specifiable and specifiable as automatic. An FMV test bed has been developed and continues to be improved with the above characteristics. The paper describes its overall design as well as key underlying algorithms, including a recent update to “A matrix” generation, which allows for the computation of arbitrary inter-frame error cross-covariance matrices associated with Kalman filter (KF) registration in the presence of dynamic state vector definition, necessary for rigorous error propagation when the contents/definition of the KF state vector changes due to added/dropped tie points. Performance of a tested scenario is also presented.

Motion Imagery Technologies, Best Practices, and Workflows for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), and Situational Awareness, 2013

Geolocation of objects or points of interest on the ground from airborne sensors is an enabler to... more Geolocation of objects or points of interest on the ground from airborne sensors is an enabler to support many useful purposes. While many commercial handheld cameras today perform rudimentary geo-tagging of images, few outside of commercial or military tactical airborne sensors have implemented the methods necessary to produce full three-dimensional coordinates as well as perform rigorous metric error propagation to estimate the uncertainties of those calculated coordinates. The critical ingredients for this fully metric capability include careful characterization of the sensor system, capturing and disseminating a complete metadata profile with the imagery, and having a validated sensor model to support the necessary transformations between the image space and the ground space. This paper describes important characteristics of metadata, the methods of geopositioning which can be applied, and including advantages and limitations. In addition, it will present the benefits of using active sensors and some recent efforts focusing on geopositioning from full-motion video (FMV) sensors.

AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference and Exhibit, 2003

A new navigation system has been developed in which an imaging sensor is used as an aid to an air... more A new navigation system has been developed in which an imaging sensor is used as an aid to an airborne integrated INS (Inertial Navigation System) and GPS (Global Positioning System) system. We name it the tightly coupled INS/GPS/EO (Electro Optical System) system. In the current configuration, the EO measures single ground object image position through a camera on board an aircraft. As represented by the term "tightly coupled", the INS, GPS and EO are integrated using the single Kalman filter which estimates aircraft states, sensor biases and ground object coordinates simultaneously. As the consequence, aircraft yaw angle determination (an weak point common in INS/GPS systems) is greatly improved. Furthermore, the INS/GPS/EO system can also focus on known stationary ground objects (control points) resulting in improved navigation accuracy.

I would first and foremost like to thank my advisor, Jacob Schiff, for keeping me grounded and on... more I would first and foremost like to thank my advisor, Jacob Schiff, for keeping me grounded and on topic against all odds. I would to thank Harlan Wilson, for supporting me throughout my academic pursuits, and for teaching me how to write a political theory paper (against all odds). I would like to thank Sonia Kruks, whose insight and support has greatly informed my writing this year. And, I am grateful for my brilliant friends, who heroically put up with my rants and ravings for the last several months. Finally I would like to thank my family, in particular my parents, Jake and Shauna. Their radicalism has always set the bar for me as a critical thinker. I dedicate this project to them.

Proceedings of SPIE, May 1, 2017

This paper presents an overview of the Full Motion Video-Geopositioning Test Bed (FMV-GTB) develo... more This paper presents an overview of the Full Motion Video-Geopositioning Test Bed (FMV-GTB) developed to investigate algorithm performance and issues related to the registration of motion imagery and subsequent extraction of feature locations along with predicted accuracy. A case study is included corresponding to a video taken from a quadcopter. Registration of the corresponding video frames is performed without the benefit of a priori sensor attitude (pointing) information. In particular, tie points are automatically measured between adjacent frames using standard optical flow matching techniques from computer vision, an a priori estimate of sensor attitude is then computed based on supplied GPS sensor positions contained in the video metadata and a photogrammetric/search-based structure from motion algorithm, and then a Weighted Least Squares adjustment of all a priori metadata across the frames is performed. Extraction of absolute 3D feature locations, including their predicted accuracy based on the principles of rigorous error propagation, is then performed using a subset of the registered frames. Results are compared to known locations (check points) over a test site. Throughout this entire process, no external control information (e.g. surveyed points) is used other than for evaluation of solution errors and corresponding accuracy.

Proceedings of SPIE, May 21, 2015

In order to better understand the issues associated with Full Motion Video (FMV) geopositioning a... more In order to better understand the issues associated with Full Motion Video (FMV) geopositioning and to develop corresponding strategies and algorithms, an integrated test bed is required. It is used to evaluate the performance of various candidate algorithms associated with registration of the video frames and subsequent geopositioning using the registered frames. Major issues include reliable error propagation or predicted solution accuracy, optimal vs. suboptimal vs. divergent solutions, robust processing in the presence of poor or non-existent a priori estimates of sensor metadata, difficulty in the measurement of tie points between adjacent frames, poor imaging geometry including small field-of-view and little vertical relief, and no control (points). The test bed modules must be integrated with appropriate data flows between them. The test bed must also ingest/generate real and simulated data and support evaluation of corresponding performance based on module-internal metrics as well as comparisons to real or simulated “ground truth”. Selection of the appropriate modules and algorithms must be both operator specifiable and specifiable as automatic. An FMV test bed has been developed and continues to be improved with the above characteristics. The paper describes its overall design as well as key underlying algorithms, including a recent update to “A matrix” generation, which allows for the computation of arbitrary inter-frame error cross-covariance matrices associated with Kalman filter (KF) registration in the presence of dynamic state vector definition, necessary for rigorous error propagation when the contents/definition of the KF state vector changes due to added/dropped tie points. Performance of a tested scenario is also presented.

Proceedings of SPIE, May 16, 2013

Geolocation of objects or points of interest on the ground from airborne sensors is an enabler to... more Geolocation of objects or points of interest on the ground from airborne sensors is an enabler to support many useful purposes. While many commercial handheld cameras today perform rudimentary geo-tagging of images, few outside of commercial or military tactical airborne sensors have implemented the methods necessary to produce full three-dimensional coordinates as well as perform rigorous metric error propagation to estimate the uncertainties of those calculated coordinates. The critical ingredients for this fully metric capability include careful characterization of the sensor system, capturing and disseminating a complete metadata profile with the imagery, and having a validated sensor model to support the necessary transformations between the image space and the ground space. This paper describes important characteristics of metadata, the methods of geopositioning which can be applied, and including advantages and limitations. In addition, it will present the benefits of using active sensors and some recent efforts focusing on geopositioning from full-motion video (FMV) sensors.

Estimating the uncertainty or predicted accuracy of gridded products that are generated from hist... more Estimating the uncertainty or predicted accuracy of gridded products that are generated from historical bathymetric survey data is of high interest to the maritime navigation community. Surface interpolation methods used for gridding survey data in practice are well established. This paper investigates error estimation methods for gridded bathymetry in terms of their practical utility. Of particular interest are: 1) assessing the quality of a prior uncertainty of random error in survey data; 2) the significance of autocorrelated random errors; 3) the relationship between survey point density and propagated or product uncertainty; 4) the computational feasibility of Monte Carlo (MC) methods over large regions; and 5) the value of cross-validation to estimate error in the absence of controlled truth. K-fold cross-validation is used as the basis for performance evaluation of our approach to propagate a priori random errors via MC perturbation with spline-in-tension surface interpolation. Experiments are conducted with test areas in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard.

With the rapid growth of sensor platforms for imagery collection, from micro-unmanned aerial syst... more With the rapid growth of sensor platforms for imagery collection, from micro-unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to smart phones, an ability to geo-register image data is a fundamental need for many downstream applications. Approaches to georegistration for sensor imagery have deep roots in photogrammetry, and more recently with the integration of computer vision techniques. Georegistration solutions are increasingly sought for inexpensive and non-metric quality sensors and/or those that may lack the metadata needed to support rigorous coordinate transfer with error estimation. This indicates a range of solution quality, with situational awareness at one end, and rigorous accuracy at the other. There are a variety of correspondence and transformation models from which to select, with tradeoffs among simplicity, accuracy, and error estimation. The continually expanding vernacular of terms and methods can lead to confusion of application among the broader community of users. A sorting of representative terminology, processes, and techniques, is proposed as a framework. The goal is to motivate discussion for application guidelines.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Feb 28, 2018

Attached is a copy of the "Indiana High Accuracy Reference Network (HARN) Final Report". This rep... more Attached is a copy of the "Indiana High Accuracy Reference Network (HARN) Final Report". This report is a summary of the information gathered from the survey conducted by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS), Schneider Inc., and Woolpert, LLP for the High Accuracy Reference Network in Indiana. Also included is a copy of the station description and a location map of the HARN station(s) in your respective county. This report has three main areas of interest. First, a brief discussion on the need for the Indiana HARN and why this was an important task. Second, a summary of the details surrounding the Indiana HARN survey. Finally, the station description of the HARN point in your county is attached with a map of the general area surrounding this point. We have also included a discussion on monument preservation with tips on how keep the high accuracies associated with your point(s). Also, a section is included on how the HARN is being used in Indiana with a few success stories. We have included three tables listing all of the HARN points in Indiana organized in different ways for easy location. We encourage you to visit the web site we have dedicated to the Indiana HARN when conducting research for surveys in your county. Each point is listed with the station description and map, as in this report, but it also has the NGS Data Sheet with the current coordinates for each point. The web address is Located at http://bridge.ecn.purdue.edul-oisgal. The data sheets are accessed by clicking on the PID, and the station description is accessed by clicking on the four-character ID. It is our hope that your LPA will fmd this report useful and informative. We encourage you to use the web site for information on using the HARN or contact us with any questions concerning the HARN at the number listed below.

Our goal was to was to gather all the information that could be useful for the Indiana Counties a... more Our goal was to was to gather all the information that could be useful for the Indiana Counties and Cities, add our own experience and expertise, and place it in one report. These Guidelines are Jivided into three sections. The first section is the Guidelines. It gives information and suggestions on all aspects of snow and ice control. The second section is a template for a snow and ice control policy. The intent of this section is to give you a policy that is almost complete. You just need to fill in the blanks and check a few boxes that pertain to your county or city. We encourage you to add any information that is missing from this policy that would make it more specific

TerraSAR-X is an upcoming earth-observation mission equipped with a high-resolution radar sensor.... more TerraSAR-X is an upcoming earth-observation mission equipped with a high-resolution radar sensor. It is operated by the German Space Operation Center (GSOC) in Oberpfaffenhofen and demands a highly autonomous mission planning system, which satisfies the varying and diverging interests of the different parties involved: the German Space Research Center (DLR) and its German industrial partners (EADS / InfoTerra), forming a public-private-partnership. The mission planning system will autonomously process the expected five hundred incoming datatake requests per day, provide user feedback, schedule satellite datatakes as well as up- and downlinks to and from different ground stations and keep track of the available satellite resources. The need to split up fairly the satellite capabilities between the scientific community on the one hand and the commercial partners on the other hand naturally leads to conflicts of interest. Whereas conflicts between individual competing datatake requests are solved automatically making use of user-chosen priorities, the overall user behaviour influences deeply the predictability, stability and performance of the mission planning system. DLR/GSOC introduces an innovative strategic planning concept, which balances the interests between the different user groups and at the same time encourages the individual user to place orders that can be optimized by the system. As a side effect, this avoids senseless overloading of the mission planning system with unfeasible requests. Mission management and the strategic planning team allocate a quota of points to the different user communities each three months. For every request, the usage of this quota is calculated as a function of the datatake priority, the radar-mode, the time window and the time-point of order placement with respect to the first possible acquisition time. Once a user group exceeds their quota, the system accepts only low priority background tasks. The more the user limits the degrees of freedom of the order, the less the planning system is able to optimize the timeline and the higher is the quota usage. Together with powerful ordering-preview functionalities informing the user right from the beginning about quota demands and feasibility, limiting the number of datatakes helps the further mission planning process to concentrate on its main purpose: finding a feasible and optimal plan to stay within all resources and to perform a high percentage of all requests. User feedback mechanisms inform the users automatically about the status of their orders. 1. TerraSAR-X Mission Overview The upcoming high-resolution radar satellite mission TerraSAR-X makes high demands on its space as well as its ground segment. The German Space Operation Center (GSOC) in Oberpfaffenhofen, which is part of the German Space Research Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V., DLR), will operate TerraSAR-X during the envisaged mission time of 5 years. The TerraSAR-X project is financed by a public private partnership between DLR and EADS (Astrium / InfoTerra).

Geospatial Informatics, Fusion, and Motion Video Analytics V, 2015

In order to better understand the issues associated with Full Motion Video (FMV) geopositioning a... more In order to better understand the issues associated with Full Motion Video (FMV) geopositioning and to develop corresponding strategies and algorithms, an integrated test bed is required. It is used to evaluate the performance of various candidate algorithms associated with registration of the video frames and subsequent geopositioning using the registered frames. Major issues include reliable error propagation or predicted solution accuracy, optimal vs. suboptimal vs. divergent solutions, robust processing in the presence of poor or non-existent a priori estimates of sensor metadata, difficulty in the measurement of tie points between adjacent frames, poor imaging geometry including small field-of-view and little vertical relief, and no control (points). The test bed modules must be integrated with appropriate data flows between them. The test bed must also ingest/generate real and simulated data and support evaluation of corresponding performance based on module-internal metrics as well as comparisons to real or simulated “ground truth”. Selection of the appropriate modules and algorithms must be both operator specifiable and specifiable as automatic. An FMV test bed has been developed and continues to be improved with the above characteristics. The paper describes its overall design as well as key underlying algorithms, including a recent update to “A matrix” generation, which allows for the computation of arbitrary inter-frame error cross-covariance matrices associated with Kalman filter (KF) registration in the presence of dynamic state vector definition, necessary for rigorous error propagation when the contents/definition of the KF state vector changes due to added/dropped tie points. Performance of a tested scenario is also presented.

Motion Imagery Technologies, Best Practices, and Workflows for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), and Situational Awareness, 2013

Geolocation of objects or points of interest on the ground from airborne sensors is an enabler to... more Geolocation of objects or points of interest on the ground from airborne sensors is an enabler to support many useful purposes. While many commercial handheld cameras today perform rudimentary geo-tagging of images, few outside of commercial or military tactical airborne sensors have implemented the methods necessary to produce full three-dimensional coordinates as well as perform rigorous metric error propagation to estimate the uncertainties of those calculated coordinates. The critical ingredients for this fully metric capability include careful characterization of the sensor system, capturing and disseminating a complete metadata profile with the imagery, and having a validated sensor model to support the necessary transformations between the image space and the ground space. This paper describes important characteristics of metadata, the methods of geopositioning which can be applied, and including advantages and limitations. In addition, it will present the benefits of using active sensors and some recent efforts focusing on geopositioning from full-motion video (FMV) sensors.

AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference and Exhibit, 2003

A new navigation system has been developed in which an imaging sensor is used as an aid to an air... more A new navigation system has been developed in which an imaging sensor is used as an aid to an airborne integrated INS (Inertial Navigation System) and GPS (Global Positioning System) system. We name it the tightly coupled INS/GPS/EO (Electro Optical System) system. In the current configuration, the EO measures single ground object image position through a camera on board an aircraft. As represented by the term "tightly coupled", the INS, GPS and EO are integrated using the single Kalman filter which estimates aircraft states, sensor biases and ground object coordinates simultaneously. As the consequence, aircraft yaw angle determination (an weak point common in INS/GPS systems) is greatly improved. Furthermore, the INS/GPS/EO system can also focus on known stationary ground objects (control points) resulting in improved navigation accuracy.