Ultra-Wideband-Based Method for Measuring Tree Positions With Decimeter-Level Accuracy Under a Forest Canopy

This study presents a low-cost method for measuring tree positions under a forest canopy with decimeter-level accuracy using standalone ultra-wideband data. The proposed method consists of six beacons and one tag, which enable the creation of a sensor network and the localization of trees over an ar...

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Main Authors: Zuoya Liu, Harri Kaartinen, Teemu Hakala, Heikki Hyyti, Juha Hyyppa, Antero Kukko, Ruizhi Chen, Mikko Vastaranta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2025-01-01
Series:IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing
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Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11003419/
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author Zuoya Liu
Harri Kaartinen
Teemu Hakala
Heikki Hyyti
Juha Hyyppa
Antero Kukko
Ruizhi Chen
Mikko Vastaranta
author_facet Zuoya Liu
Harri Kaartinen
Teemu Hakala
Heikki Hyyti
Juha Hyyppa
Antero Kukko
Ruizhi Chen
Mikko Vastaranta
author_sort Zuoya Liu
collection DOAJ
description This study presents a low-cost method for measuring tree positions under a forest canopy with decimeter-level accuracy using standalone ultra-wideband data. The proposed method consists of six beacons and one tag, which enable the creation of a sensor network and the localization of trees over an area of approximately 6500 m<sup>2</sup>. Two efficient signal transceiver mechanisms were developed for raw data collection, followed by an optimized method for setting up the beacon network. Each tree was measured twice at two distinct points around the stem. The tag's trajectory was estimated using an extended Kalman filter with nonline-of-sight processing, and the optimal position of each tree was then extracted from this trajectory. To evaluate the accuracy of the developed method, field tests were conducted in a boreal forest zone in Evo, Finland. Experimental results show that the developed method measured tree positions with a root-mean-square-error of 0.13 m compared to the total station-based reference and 0.14 m compared to the high-density airborne laser scanning-based reference measurements. Therefore, the developed method appears to be suitable for forest surveying tasks that require decimeter-level positional accuracy under a forest canopy.
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publishDate 2025-01-01
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spelling doaj-art-be40b35f18634a8d8e048bd2819e0ed52025-08-20T02:04:00ZengIEEEIEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing1939-14042151-15352025-01-0118129611297210.1109/JSTARS.2025.356995811003419Ultra-Wideband-Based Method for Measuring Tree Positions With Decimeter-Level Accuracy Under a Forest CanopyZuoya Liu0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9407-5008Harri Kaartinen1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4796-3942Teemu Hakala2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5486-4582Heikki Hyyti3Juha Hyyppa4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5360-4017Antero Kukko5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3841-6533Ruizhi Chen6Mikko Vastaranta7Department of Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry, Finnish Geospatial Research Institute FGI, Espoo, FinlandDepartment of Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry, Finnish Geospatial Research Institute FGI, Espoo, FinlandDepartment of Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry, Finnish Geospatial Research Institute FGI, Espoo, FinlandDepartment of Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry, Finnish Geospatial Research Institute FGI, Espoo, FinlandDepartment of Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry, Finnish Geospatial Research Institute FGI, Espoo, FinlandDepartment of Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry, Finnish Geospatial Research Institute FGI, Espoo, FinlandSchool of Data Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shen Zheng, ChinaSchool of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, FinlandThis study presents a low-cost method for measuring tree positions under a forest canopy with decimeter-level accuracy using standalone ultra-wideband data. The proposed method consists of six beacons and one tag, which enable the creation of a sensor network and the localization of trees over an area of approximately 6500 m<sup>2</sup>. Two efficient signal transceiver mechanisms were developed for raw data collection, followed by an optimized method for setting up the beacon network. Each tree was measured twice at two distinct points around the stem. The tag's trajectory was estimated using an extended Kalman filter with nonline-of-sight processing, and the optimal position of each tree was then extracted from this trajectory. To evaluate the accuracy of the developed method, field tests were conducted in a boreal forest zone in Evo, Finland. Experimental results show that the developed method measured tree positions with a root-mean-square-error of 0.13 m compared to the total station-based reference and 0.14 m compared to the high-density airborne laser scanning-based reference measurements. Therefore, the developed method appears to be suitable for forest surveying tasks that require decimeter-level positional accuracy under a forest canopy.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11003419/Distance measurementforest inventorylocalizationtree mapultra-wideband (UWB)
spellingShingle Zuoya Liu
Harri Kaartinen
Teemu Hakala
Heikki Hyyti
Juha Hyyppa
Antero Kukko
Ruizhi Chen
Mikko Vastaranta
Ultra-Wideband-Based Method for Measuring Tree Positions With Decimeter-Level Accuracy Under a Forest Canopy
IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing
Distance measurement
forest inventory
localization
tree map
ultra-wideband (UWB)
title Ultra-Wideband-Based Method for Measuring Tree Positions With Decimeter-Level Accuracy Under a Forest Canopy
title_full Ultra-Wideband-Based Method for Measuring Tree Positions With Decimeter-Level Accuracy Under a Forest Canopy
title_fullStr Ultra-Wideband-Based Method for Measuring Tree Positions With Decimeter-Level Accuracy Under a Forest Canopy
title_full_unstemmed Ultra-Wideband-Based Method for Measuring Tree Positions With Decimeter-Level Accuracy Under a Forest Canopy
title_short Ultra-Wideband-Based Method for Measuring Tree Positions With Decimeter-Level Accuracy Under a Forest Canopy
title_sort ultra wideband based method for measuring tree positions with decimeter level accuracy under a forest canopy
topic Distance measurement
forest inventory
localization
tree map
ultra-wideband (UWB)
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11003419/
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