About the Factors Affecting the Accuracy of Image Formation

Objective: in this article, the author explores how the main physical factors that arise during the process of aerospace surveying of a terrain area affect the accuracy of determining the coordinates of terrain points (objects). To address the issue of eliminating the influence of these factors, an analytical photogrammetric approach is typically used to determine corrections (increments) to the corresponding coordinates of terrain points in the images. Methods: as the main methods for accounting for and eliminating the main factors affecting the accuracy of image formation, it is proposed to use analytical photogrammetric methods for processing images obtained during aerospace surveying, including methods of projective geometry. Results: the influence of the main factors affecting image generation accuracy is eliminated by introducing appropriate corrections to the corresponding coordinates of ground points measured in images using high-precision photogrammetric systems and software packages. Corrections (coordinate increments), determined using analytical expressions for calculating the increments of the coordinates of ground points recognized in the images, are introduced into the measured coordinates of the ground points. Practical significance: current photogrammetric image processing practices, along with ongoing scientific research and experiments, demonstrate that to improve the accuracy of coordinate determination in an aerospace image (photograph), it is necessary to consider corrections (increments) to the corresponding point coordinates caused by the influence of the main physical factors, including: the curvature of the Earth’s underlying surface, atmospheric refraction, and lens distortion of the observation equipment used.