Applying ASPRS Accuracy Standards to Surveys from Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)

We present a first assessment of UAS-derived orthoimagely and digital elevation data in the context of newly-released accuracy standards for digital geospatial data developed by the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. We outline results from two case studies using a commercially-available UAS, photogrammetry software, and an array of ground control and checkpoints. Radial horizontal and vertical root-mean-square-errors (RMSE) were calculated as 0.05 m and 0.06 m, respectively, for one site, and 0.08 m and 0.03 m, respectively, for the other. Under the 1990 ASPRS standards, both surveys meet the requirements for Class 1 accuracy at the 1:500 map scale and at the 0.50 m contour interval. Under the newly-developed ASPRS standards, the reported errors fulfill the requirements for both horizontal and vertical mapping at the 10 cm RMSE level. Overall, these results provide initial direction for practitioners considering UAS surveying in the context of accuracy standards.