GPS-SUPPORTED DETERMINATION OF 
INTERIOR ORIENTATION ELEMENTS OF AERIAL CAMERA 
Yuan Xiuxiao 
School of Remote Seneing and Informatics 
Wuhan Technical University of Surveying and Mapping 
39 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430070, P.R. of China 
Commission |, Working Group 3 
KEY WORDS: Accuracy, GPS, Method, Aerial Camera, GPS-supported Single-image Resection, GPS- 
supported Bundle Adjustment. 
ABSTRACT 
It is common knowledge that we can solve the elements of interior orientation X,,y,,f of aerial camera in 
collinearity equation with enough ground control points. However, in the case of vertical photography, the 
solution of the normal equation may be faced with singularities because x,,y,,f and Xs, Y.,Z. offset each other. 
Therefore, the conventional aerotriangulation solves only the elements of exterior orientation q,o,x, Xs, Y s,Zs 
of photograph, whereas the elements of interior orientation x;,y,,f of aerial camera are often determined in 
the laboratory. As the laboratory methods can not take into full account the actual conditions in 
aerophotography, large deviations often occur. 
This paper raises two kinds of GPS-supported determination methods for the elements of interior orientation 
of aerial camera for the first time. The basic formula are derived form GPS-supported single-image 
resection in space and GPS-supported bundle block adjustment. A set of actual determination results 
obtained by camera Wild RC-20 with GPS data from the test field in Taiyuan are given and discussed. The 
test has confirmed that the two presented methods are correct in theory and efficient in practice. If several 
pictures with carrier phase measurements are taken over a high precision test field before and after an air 
photographic mission, the elements of interior orientation of aerial camera can be determined by using GPS- 
supported single-image resection in space. The determination method of interior orientation elements in 
GPS-supported bundle block adjustment does not pose any major problem for photogrammetric adjustment 
but can efficiently correct the systematic errors caused by the high dynamic aerophotography. To 
summarize the investigations in this paper can obtain that the dynamic determination methods for the 
elements of interior orientation will eventually replace the conventional photogrammetric operation method 
where the camera calibration is independent of photo orientation, and revolutionary changes will take place 
in the conventional aerotriangulation which had lasted 60 years and more. 
coordinate system. X,Y,Z are the object coordinates 
1. INTRODUCTION in ground coordinate system. Xx,,y,,f are the elements 
of interior orientation of an aerial camera. X,,Y,,Z. 
It is common knowledge that the strict mathematical ^ are the coordinates of the photographic station in 
relationships between the image points in a ground coordinate system. a,b,c; (i=1,2,3) are the 
photograph and their corresponding object points direction cosines of the included angles between the 
can be written as follows: corresponding axes of the image space coordinate 
| system x,y,z and those of the ground coordinate 
system X,Y,Z. They are the function of photo 
  
  
PES. don a, (X - X,) *b,(Y - Y.) c, (Z - Z,) rotation angles p,œw,x. AX,Ay are corrections of the 
0 a X — X) b,(Y - Y.) *C,(2 - Z,) (f) coordinates of image points. 
Y-Yo* Ay HUY o If several pictures are taken in accordance with 
8,(X - XS) t b,(Y - Y.) t0, (2 - 2,) 
certain conditions in an actual test field and the 
observation is performed in a high precision 
where, x,y are the image coordinates in plate comparator and enough ground control points are 
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International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B1. Vienna 1996