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Evaluating the relationship between data resolution and the accuracy of identified helicopter landing zones (HLZs)

Evaluating the relationship between data resolution and the accuracy of identified helicopter landing zones (HLZs)
Evaluating the relationship between data resolution and the accuracy of identified helicopter landing zones (HLZs)

Helicopters provide critical advantages in military operations because of their ability to land at small and unimproved sites. While the military uses models to identify helicopter landing zones (HLZs), little research has been conducted on their accuracy. This study evaluated the performance of an HLZ detection model derived from existing selection criteria that incorporated elevation and land cover data with spatial resolutions ranging from 1 m to 30 m. Multiple HLZs were selected as study sites at three geographically varied locations. The HLZ boundaries identified using the derived model were then compared to surveyed reference boundaries to assess their accuracy. This study found that as the spatial resolution of the data became coarser, accuracy decreased across all sites. However, there were some instances where noticeable increases in error were observed at certain resolutions for some sites. The resolution at which this occurred was always related to the size of features either bounding or located within the landing area. Thus, this study found that the most important consideration when determining ideal resolution for HLZ detection is the geography of the study area. While additional research is needed, this study presents initial findings and a framework upon which future assessments can build.

Accuracy assessment, Helicopter landing zones, Landing zone detection, Military geospatial GIS
0143-6228
Erskine, John
60bdfac0-5f7f-4454-8f35-1237fc08b275
Oxendine, Christopher
1cf7d877-3040-4587-aed8-593d50b1cd48
Wright, William
32485dfd-7b86-4794-9097-8223589bd2a0
O'banion, Matthew
35d7cc12-d9e5-4c0f-b091-27e97678b45a
Phillips, Andrew
0297382c-e4fc-4ed3-946a-cf2028ccefc1
Erskine, John
60bdfac0-5f7f-4454-8f35-1237fc08b275
Oxendine, Christopher
1cf7d877-3040-4587-aed8-593d50b1cd48
Wright, William
32485dfd-7b86-4794-9097-8223589bd2a0
O'banion, Matthew
35d7cc12-d9e5-4c0f-b091-27e97678b45a
Phillips, Andrew
0297382c-e4fc-4ed3-946a-cf2028ccefc1

Erskine, John, Oxendine, Christopher, Wright, William, O'banion, Matthew and Phillips, Andrew (2022) Evaluating the relationship between data resolution and the accuracy of identified helicopter landing zones (HLZs). Applied Geography, 139, [102652]. (doi:10.1016/j.apgeog.2022.102652).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Helicopters provide critical advantages in military operations because of their ability to land at small and unimproved sites. While the military uses models to identify helicopter landing zones (HLZs), little research has been conducted on their accuracy. This study evaluated the performance of an HLZ detection model derived from existing selection criteria that incorporated elevation and land cover data with spatial resolutions ranging from 1 m to 30 m. Multiple HLZs were selected as study sites at three geographically varied locations. The HLZ boundaries identified using the derived model were then compared to surveyed reference boundaries to assess their accuracy. This study found that as the spatial resolution of the data became coarser, accuracy decreased across all sites. However, there were some instances where noticeable increases in error were observed at certain resolutions for some sites. The resolution at which this occurred was always related to the size of features either bounding or located within the landing area. Thus, this study found that the most important consideration when determining ideal resolution for HLZ detection is the geography of the study area. While additional research is needed, this study presents initial findings and a framework upon which future assessments can build.

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Accepted/In Press date: 23 January 2022
e-pub ahead of print date: 2 February 2022
Additional Information: Funding Information: Funding for this study was provided by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) of the United States (no associated grant number). The authors would also like to acknowledge cadets and faculty from the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering at the United States Military Academy for their immense help in planning and executing this research study. Publisher Copyright: © 2022
Keywords: Accuracy assessment, Helicopter landing zones, Landing zone detection, Military geospatial GIS

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 480648
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/480648
ISSN: 0143-6228
PURE UUID: 8235761d-bf3d-4d3c-89a2-f35ce1385cdc

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Date deposited: 08 Aug 2023 16:37
Last modified: 05 Jun 2024 19:38

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Contributors

Author: John Erskine
Author: Christopher Oxendine
Author: William Wright
Author: Matthew O'banion
Author: Andrew Phillips

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