Use of UAV imagery for land consolidation: analysis of the accuracy of the resulting orthophotomosaic in relation to the GNSS RTK measurement

Abstract

Land consolidation projects are fundamental tools that enable the reorganization of agricultural space to enhance agricultural productivity and improve quality of life in rural areas. However, the high costs associated with such projects necessitate ongoing refinement of their technical aspects, including cost reduction and shortened implementation time while maintaining the required accuracy parameters. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of digital orthomosaic creation obtained using UAVs from the perspective of the implementation of land consolidation projects. The research area is located in southern Poland (Przeginia village), and the data used for the study were obtained during the ongoing land consolidation project. The processing of the resulting images was performed with Structure from Motion algorithms using 103 adjustment points with known coordinates. An analysis performed using a set of 87 control points showed an average error in the position of points on a surface of 0.08 m in relation to control results carried out using the GNSS RTK technique. The observed maximum error value was 0.29 m. The analysis of the causes of the high value of observed errors indicates that they were the result of an incorrectly planned, too low number of control points and their uneven distribution across the study area.