A DIGITAL-MAP AIDED TARGET LOCATION IN AN AERIAL IMAGE

Abstract. Target location in an aerial image has become a critical issue with the wide application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in the fields of target tracking and reconnaissance. This paper proposes a pipeline of target location based on the existing digital map and Digital Elevation Model (DEM). It utilizes the corresponding points between the aerial image and the digital map to build a mapping model, and calculate the position of target from this model. The pipeline can provide not only an approximate position obtained by the Direct Linear Transformation (DLT), but also an accurate value by implementing a few of iterations. The related error analysis is conducted to verify the positioning accuracy of this strategy. It can successfully avoid the dependence of the performance of GPS and POS, and ensure the high positioning precision simultaneously, which is attractive to low-cost surveying applications of small UAVs.