A comprehensive analysis of different geometric correction methods for the Pleiades-1A and Spot-6 satellite images

Satellite images have been widely used in the production of geospatial information such as land use and land cover mapping and the generation of several thematic layers via image processing techniques. The systematic sensor and platform-induced geometry errors influence images acquired by sensors onboard various satellite platforms. Thus, geometric correction of satellite images is essential for image pre-processing to extract accurate and reliable locational information. Geometric correction of satellite images obtained from two different satellites, Pleiades 1A (PHR) and SPOT-6, was performed within the scope of this study using empirical models and a physical model. The 2D polynomial model, 3D rational function model with calculated RPCs from GCPs, 3D rational function model with RPCs from satellite, RPC refinement model using GCPs, and Toutin's physical model were used. Several experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of various parameters on the performance of the geometric correction procedure, such as GCP reference data source, GCP number and distribution, DEM source, spatial resolution, and model. Our results showed that lower RMSE values could be achieved with the model that uses RPC from data providers for PHR and SPOT, followed by the RPC refinement method for PHR and Toutin method for SPOT. In general, GCPs from the HGM data source and ALOS DEM combination provided better results. Lastly, lower RMSE values, thus better locational accuracy values, were observed with the PHR image except for a single test.

Automated summary

Satellite images are widely used in the production of geospatial information. Geometric correction is essential for image pre-processing to extract accurate locational information. This study performed geometric correction on satellite images obtained from Pleiades 1A (PHR) and SPOT-6 using empirical and physical models. Several experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of various parameters on the performance of the geometric correction procedure. The results showed that the model using RPC from data providers achieved lower RMSE values, providing better locational accuracy.