Enhancing Direct Georeferencing Using Real-Time Kinematic UAVs and Structure from Motion-Based Photogrammetry for Large-Scale Infrastructure

The growing demand for high-accuracy mapping and 3D modeling using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has accelerated advancements in flight dynamics, positioning accuracy, and imaging technology. Structure from motion (SfM), a computer vision-based approach, is increasingly replacing traditional photogrammetry through facilitating the automation of processes such as aerial triangulation (AT), terrain modeling, and orthomosaic generation. This study examines methods to enhance the accuracy of SfM-based AT through real-time kinematic (RTK) UAV imagery, focusing on large-scale infrastructure applications, including a dam and its entire basin. The target area, primarily consisting of homogeneous water surfaces, poses considerable challenges for feature point extraction and image matching, which are crucial for effective SfM. To overcome these challenges and improve the AT accuracy, a constraint equation was applied, incorporating weighted 3D coordinates derived from RTK UAV data. Furthermore, oblique images were combined with nadir images to stabilize AT, and confidence-based filtering was applied to point clouds to enhance geometric quality. The results indicate that assigning appropriate weights to 3D coordinates and incorporating oblique imagery significantly improve the AT accuracy. This approach presents promising advancements for RTK UAV-based AT in SfM-challenging, large-scale environments, thus supporting more efficient and precise mapping applications. © 2024 by the authors.