STARIMAGER - A NEW AIRBORNE THREE-LINE SCANNER 
FOR LARGE-SCALE APPLICATIONS 
Koichi TSUNO*, Armin GRUEN and Li ZHANG**, Shunji MURAI**, Ryosuke SHIBASAKI***, 
* STARLABO Corporation, 1-20-1, Sanshin Bldg., Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0002, JAPAN 
tsuno-koichi@sei.co.jp 
** Institute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry, ETH-Hoenggerberg, CH-8093 Zurich, SWITZERLAND 
agruen@geod.baug.ethz.ch, zhangl@geod.baug.ethz.ch 
*** University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, JAPAN 
shmurai@nifty.com, shiba@skl.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp 
Commission I, WG 6 
KEY WORDS: Airborne Three-Line-Scanner, Stabilizer, GPS/IMU, Digital Photogrammetry, Aerial Triangulation, 
DSM Generation, Object Extraction 
ABSTRACT: 
STARIMAGER is a helicopter-borne high resolution Three-Line Scanner (TLS) imaging system developed by STARLABO 
Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, jointly with the University of Tokyo and the Institute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry (IGP), ETH 
Zurich for large scale applications, especially for line-shaped ground object recording (such as roads, rivers, railways), and remote 
sensing applications. As other airborne and space-borne linear array imaging sensors, STARIMAGER is equipped with GPS/IMU to 
record the exterior orientation parameters of each obtained image line per forward, nadir and backward views during the flight. 
Since a high-performance stabilizer is used, which absorbs the vibrations of the aircraft and stabilizes the camera's axis within a 
pixel, the resulting original images have very little waving and blurring, leading to fewer problems for post-processing. A feature of 
particular interest is that STARIMAGER can currently read out 10 channels simultaneously, so besides providing stereo capabilities 
it can also be used in multi-spectral modes. The TLS principle brings line perspective images with very little distortion in the flight 
direction, thus we get less occlusions especially in city and mountainous areas. It can generate seamless and high-quality ortho- 
images, which have already true ortho-image characteristics in flight direction. This paper focuses on the system hardware 
configuration and data pre-processing of the STARIMAGER, including the camera system, the stabilizer, GPS/IMU, data 
controlling and recording units. In addition we will report about the status of the application software development. Given the new 
sensor geometry a number of new features can be used in the processing algorithms, which are up to now not available on Digital 
Stations dealing with single frame images. This software includes a modern GUI with image handling and measuring in mono, 
stereo and multi-image modes. Furthermore we will address the following functions: image orientation and forward intersection, 
triangulation procedures with three different trajectory models, image rectification using different levels of approximation of object 
surfaces (plane, DSM), automated DSM generation, ortho-image generation, mono-plotting, 3D city model generation (geometric 
and textural parts), and support of feature and object extraction in manual and semi-automatic mode. We will also briely address a 
variety of applications, featuring the TLS principle in already existing and new application fields. 
1l. INTRODUCTION systems. In comparison to matrix array CCD sensor systems the 
linear array CCD principle offers some distinct advantages 
which have caused a number of camera manufacturers to use 
this principle for their new digital aerial cameras. One of the 
key advantages lies in the fact that a very large image format, as 
it is required in the traditional acrial photogrammetric practice, 
can more easily be generated (Murai, Matsumoto, 1994). This 
paper explains the system configuration, hardware and software 
features and various applications of a state-of-the-art helicopter- 
borne three-line scanner (TLS) system, STARIMAGER, 
developed by STARLABO Corporation, Tokyo, Japan (see 
Figure 1). 
2. STARIMAGER 
  
u 
2.1 Principle and features 
Figure 1. STARIMAGER of STARLABO Corp., Tokyo 
The TLS camera is equipped with a stabilizer and mounted 
Line sensor systems are already widely used on satellite together on the arm outside a helicopter. This stabilizer absorbs 
platforms, now they are also entering the scene as aerial the vibrations of the helicopter movement and produces images 
    
   
  
  
  
   
   
   
    
  
  
   
  
   
   
   
  
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
   
   
  
  
  
  
   
     
  
  
   
    
  
  
    
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