ReflectDetect: A software tool for AprilTag-guided in-flight radiometric calibration for UAV-mounted 2D snapshot multi-camera imagery
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with optical sensors have transformed remote sensing in vegetation science by providing high-resolution, on-demand data, enhancing studies in forestry, agriculture, and environmental monitoring. However, accurate radiometric calibration of UAV imagery remains...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-05-01
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| Series: | SoftwareX |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352711025001177 |
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| author | Luca Joshua Francis Lewis Gabriel B. Geissler Nathan Okole Bela Gipp Cyrill Stachniss René Heim |
| author_facet | Luca Joshua Francis Lewis Gabriel B. Geissler Nathan Okole Bela Gipp Cyrill Stachniss René Heim |
| author_sort | Luca Joshua Francis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with optical sensors have transformed remote sensing in vegetation science by providing high-resolution, on-demand data, enhancing studies in forestry, agriculture, and environmental monitoring. However, accurate radiometric calibration of UAV imagery remains challenging. A common practice, using a single calibration target while holding the UAV-mounted camera close above it, is being criticized as the hemisphere is invisibly shaded and the reference images are not collected under flight conditions. ReflectDetect addresses these challenges by allowing in-flight radiometric calibration through automated detection via two different approaches: 1) a geotagging approach leveraging high-precision coordinates of the reflectance targets and 2) AprilTag based detection, a visual fiducial system frequently used in robotics. A brief statistical analysis and example data is provided to reassure the quality of the calibration results. ReflectDetect is available through a command-line interface and open-source (https://github.com/reflectdetect/reflectdetect). It now enables users to design new in-flight calibration studies to eventually improve radiometric calibration in applied UAV remote sensing. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-25e38704e04e44b8a4a622bfa0712704 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2352-7110 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SoftwareX |
| spelling | doaj-art-25e38704e04e44b8a4a622bfa07127042025-08-20T03:48:14ZengElsevierSoftwareX2352-71102025-05-013010215010.1016/j.softx.2025.102150ReflectDetect: A software tool for AprilTag-guided in-flight radiometric calibration for UAV-mounted 2D snapshot multi-camera imageryLuca Joshua Francis0Lewis Gabriel B. Geissler1Nathan Okole2Bela Gipp3Cyrill Stachniss4René Heim5Institute of Computer Science, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstraße 7, 37077 Göttingen, GermanyInstitute of Computer Science, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstraße 7, 37077 Göttingen, GermanySensors & Data Analysis, Institute of Sugar Beet Research, Holtenser Landstraße 77, 37079 Göttingen, GermanyInstitute of Computer Science, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstraße 7, 37077 Göttingen, GermanyPhotogrammetry & Robotics Lab, University of Bonn, Nussallee 15, 53115 Bonn, GermanySensors & Data Analysis, Institute of Sugar Beet Research, Holtenser Landstraße 77, 37079 Göttingen, Germany; Photogrammetry & Robotics Lab, University of Bonn, Nussallee 15, 53115 Bonn, Germany; Correspondence: René Heim, Photogrammetry & Robotics Lab, University of Bonn, Nussallee 15, 53115 Bonn, Germany.Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with optical sensors have transformed remote sensing in vegetation science by providing high-resolution, on-demand data, enhancing studies in forestry, agriculture, and environmental monitoring. However, accurate radiometric calibration of UAV imagery remains challenging. A common practice, using a single calibration target while holding the UAV-mounted camera close above it, is being criticized as the hemisphere is invisibly shaded and the reference images are not collected under flight conditions. ReflectDetect addresses these challenges by allowing in-flight radiometric calibration through automated detection via two different approaches: 1) a geotagging approach leveraging high-precision coordinates of the reflectance targets and 2) AprilTag based detection, a visual fiducial system frequently used in robotics. A brief statistical analysis and example data is provided to reassure the quality of the calibration results. ReflectDetect is available through a command-line interface and open-source (https://github.com/reflectdetect/reflectdetect). It now enables users to design new in-flight calibration studies to eventually improve radiometric calibration in applied UAV remote sensing.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352711025001177AgricultureDronesPythonRadiometric calibrationReflectanceRemote sensing |
| spellingShingle | Luca Joshua Francis Lewis Gabriel B. Geissler Nathan Okole Bela Gipp Cyrill Stachniss René Heim ReflectDetect: A software tool for AprilTag-guided in-flight radiometric calibration for UAV-mounted 2D snapshot multi-camera imagery SoftwareX Agriculture Drones Python Radiometric calibration Reflectance Remote sensing |
| title | ReflectDetect: A software tool for AprilTag-guided in-flight radiometric calibration for UAV-mounted 2D snapshot multi-camera imagery |
| title_full | ReflectDetect: A software tool for AprilTag-guided in-flight radiometric calibration for UAV-mounted 2D snapshot multi-camera imagery |
| title_fullStr | ReflectDetect: A software tool for AprilTag-guided in-flight radiometric calibration for UAV-mounted 2D snapshot multi-camera imagery |
| title_full_unstemmed | ReflectDetect: A software tool for AprilTag-guided in-flight radiometric calibration for UAV-mounted 2D snapshot multi-camera imagery |
| title_short | ReflectDetect: A software tool for AprilTag-guided in-flight radiometric calibration for UAV-mounted 2D snapshot multi-camera imagery |
| title_sort | reflectdetect a software tool for apriltag guided in flight radiometric calibration for uav mounted 2d snapshot multi camera imagery |
| topic | Agriculture Drones Python Radiometric calibration Reflectance Remote sensing |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352711025001177 |
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