STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE CALIBRATION AND STABILITY OF 
AMATEUR DIGITAL CAMERAS FOR CLOSE-RANGE MAPPING APPLICATIONS 
A. Habib a ’ *, A. Jarvis 3 ,1. Detchev 3 , G. Stensaas b , D. Moe b , J. Christopherson b 
a Dept. of Geomatics Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4 
(habib@geomatics.ucalgary.ca, a.m.jarvis@ucalgary.ca, i.detchev@ucalgary.ca) 
b US Geological Survey, USGS EROS Data Center, 47914 252nd Street, Sioux Falls, SD, USA, 57198-0001 
(stensaas@usgs.gov, dmoe@usgs.gov, jonchris@usgs.gov) 
Commission I, ThS-2 
KEY WORDS: Digital camera, calibration, standards, object reconstruction, close-range photogrammetry, 3D modelling. 
ABSTRACT: 
Photogrammetry is concerned with the accurate derivation of spatial and descriptive information from imagery that can be used in 
several applications such as mapping, DEM generation, orthophoto production, construction planning, environmental monitoring, 
structural analysis, 3D visualization, and change detection. The type of cameras traditionally used for high accuracy projects were 
large format analogue cameras. In recent years, however, the use of digital cameras for photogrammetric purposes has become more 
prevalent. The switch by some users from analogue to digital cameras has been fuelled by the ease of use, decreasing cost, and 
increasing resolution of digital cameras. Digital photogrammetric cameras can be classified into several categories: line cameras 
(e.g., ADS40 from Leica Geosystems), large format frame cameras (e.g., DMC™ from Zeiss/Intergraph), and medium to small- 
format digital cameras. More recently, amateur medium-format digital cameras (MFDC) and small-format digital cameras (SFDC) 
are being used in photogrammetric activities (e.g., in conjunction with LiDAR systems, smaller flight blocks, and for close-range 
photogrammetric applications). The continuing development in the capabilities of digital photogrammetry coupled with users’ needs 
has spawned new markets in photogrammetric mapping with amateur digital cameras. With the wide spectrum of designs for 
amateur digital cameras, several issues have surfaced, including the method and quality of camera calibration, as well as long-term 
stability. This paper addresses these concerns and outlines possible solutions. First, we will start by introducing an automated 
methodology for an in-door camera calibration. The main objective of such a procedure is to provide mapping companies using 
these cameras with a simple calibration procedure that requires an easy-to-establish test field. The paper will then discuss the 
concept of how to evaluate camera stability, which will be followed by the introduction of a set of tools for its evaluation. Following 
the discussion on calibration and stability analysis, the paper will deal with several related questions: How to develop meaningful 
standards for evaluating the outcome from the calibration procedure; How to develop meaningful standards for evaluating the 
stability of the involved camera; Is there a flexibility in choosing the stability analysis tool based on the geo-referencing procedure; 
Can the stability analysis be used for evaluating the equivalency of different distortion models. Finally, experimental results are then 
provided for two small format digital cameras. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
The recent growth in the field of photogrammetry, which has 
been driven by the increase in available types of digital cameras, 
has numerous advantages. In particular, new areas of 
applications are coming into existence, and new users are 
entering the market. The growth in the variety of products is 
beneficial both to product manufacturers and users. The use of 
small format digital cameras in particular offers an attractive 
alternative for convenient and inexpensive close-range 
applications, such as deformation monitoring of building 
structures. The benefits of using digital cameras for this type of 
application are that costly equipment such as strain gauges and 
accelerometers are not required, information can be gathered in 
a non-contact approach, and existing photogrammetric methods 
can be used to process imagery of structures acquired at 
different times to determine the structure deformation. With 
these new applications emerging, however, come new areas of 
concern, such as camera calibration, stability analysis, and 
standards to regulate the use of amateur small and medium 
format digital cameras in photogrammetric activities. 
The calibration of large format analogue and digital 
photogrammetric cameras is traditionally performed by 
dedicated organizations (such as the USGS, NRCan), where 
trained professionals ensure that high calibration quality is 
upheld. With the wide spectrum of designs for amateur SFDC 
and MFDC, however, it has become more practical for the data 
providers to perform their own calibrations and analysis of the 
utilized cameras. As such, the burden of camera calibration has 
been shifted into the hands of the data providers. Such a shift 
has led to a need for the development of procedures and 
standards for simple and effective calibration. In addition to 
camera calibration, stability analysis of amateur digital cameras 
should also be addressed. It is well known that analogue and 
digital cameras, which have been specifically designed for 
photogrammetric purposes, possess strong structural 
relationships between the focal plane and the elements of the 
lens system. Amateur digital cameras, however, are not 
manufactured for photogrammetric reconstruction, and thus 
have not been built to be as stable as mapping cameras. Their 
stability therefore requires thorough analysis. In other words, 
Corresponding author. 
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