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Propagation of vertical and horizontal source data errors into a TIN with linear interpolation

Propagation of vertical and horizontal source data errors into a TIN with linear interpolation
Propagation of vertical and horizontal source data errors into a TIN with linear interpolation
Digital elevation models (DEMs) have been widely used for a range of applications and form the basis of many GIS-related tasks. An essential aspect of a DEM is its accuracy, which depends on a variety of factors, such as source data quality, interpolation methods, data sampling density and the surface topographical characteristics. In recent years, point measurements acquired directly from land surveying such as differential global positioning system and light detection and ranging have become increasingly popular. These topographical data points can be used as the source data for the creation of DEMs at a local or regional scale. The errors in point measurements can be estimated in some cases. The focus of this article is on how the errors in the source data propagate into DEMs. The interpolation method considered is a triangulated irregular network (TIN) with linear interpolation. Both horizontal and vertical errors in source data points are considered in this study. An analytical method is derived for the error propagation into any particular point of interest within a TIN model. The solution is validated using Monte Carlo simulations and survey data obtained from a terrestrial laser scanner.
error propagation, DEM accuracy, triangulated irregular network, spatial interpolation, topographical survey
1365-8816
1378-1400
Fan, L
74cd9294-00b3-488f-bf52-6eb7f99d4ef5
Smethurst, J.A.
8f30880b-af07-4cc5-a0fe-a73f3dc30ab5
Atkinson, P.M.
96e96579-56fe-424d-a21c-17b6eed13b0b
Powrie, W.
600c3f02-00f8-4486-ae4b-b4fc8ec77c3c
Fan, L
74cd9294-00b3-488f-bf52-6eb7f99d4ef5
Smethurst, J.A.
8f30880b-af07-4cc5-a0fe-a73f3dc30ab5
Atkinson, P.M.
96e96579-56fe-424d-a21c-17b6eed13b0b
Powrie, W.
600c3f02-00f8-4486-ae4b-b4fc8ec77c3c

Fan, L, Smethurst, J.A., Atkinson, P.M. and Powrie, W. (2014) Propagation of vertical and horizontal source data errors into a TIN with linear interpolation. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 28 (7), 1378-1400. (doi:10.1080/13658816.2014.889299).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Digital elevation models (DEMs) have been widely used for a range of applications and form the basis of many GIS-related tasks. An essential aspect of a DEM is its accuracy, which depends on a variety of factors, such as source data quality, interpolation methods, data sampling density and the surface topographical characteristics. In recent years, point measurements acquired directly from land surveying such as differential global positioning system and light detection and ranging have become increasingly popular. These topographical data points can be used as the source data for the creation of DEMs at a local or regional scale. The errors in point measurements can be estimated in some cases. The focus of this article is on how the errors in the source data propagate into DEMs. The interpolation method considered is a triangulated irregular network (TIN) with linear interpolation. Both horizontal and vertical errors in source data points are considered in this study. An analytical method is derived for the error propagation into any particular point of interest within a TIN model. The solution is validated using Monte Carlo simulations and survey data obtained from a terrestrial laser scanner.

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IJGIS TIN error propagation paper with the citation detail.pdf - Accepted Manuscript
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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 24 January 2014
e-pub ahead of print date: 24 March 2014
Published date: 13 June 2014
Keywords: error propagation, DEM accuracy, triangulated irregular network, spatial interpolation, topographical survey
Organisations: Infrastructure Group, Earth Surface Dynamics

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 362419
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/362419
ISSN: 1365-8816
PURE UUID: 5a1dc3eb-fa31-472e-9bc8-73f57f49f290
ORCID for J.A. Smethurst: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8175-985X
ORCID for P.M. Atkinson: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-5489-6880
ORCID for W. Powrie: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2271-0826

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 24 Feb 2014 12:05
Last modified: 12 Aug 2024 01:36

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Contributors

Author: L Fan
Author: J.A. Smethurst ORCID iD
Author: P.M. Atkinson ORCID iD
Author: W. Powrie ORCID iD

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