High resolution DEM generation from ALOS PRISM data -algorithm development and evaluation

The Panchromatic Remote sensing Instrument for Stereo Mapping (PRISM) sensor that will be carried on the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) includes creation of digital elevation maps as one of its purposes. PRISM is capable of high spatial resolution and along-track stereoscopic observation. In order to provide software to create a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) semi-routinely at the Earth Observation Research Center (EORC), development of a DEM generation algorithm and software was carried out. The authors considered the basic function of DEM generation software, various processing algorithms for DEM generation were examined, and a trial production and evaluation which used test data was performed This paper reports the resulting processing method, and evaluation of results, of DEM generated from test data consisting of the nadir and forward images from JERS-1/OPS.