On-Orbit Geometric Calibration of ZY-3 Three-Line Array Imagery With Multistrip Data Sets

ZY-3, which was launched on January 9, 2012, is the first stereo mapping satellite in China. The initial accuracy of direct georeferencing with the onboard three-line camera (TLC) imagery is low. Sensor geometric calibration with bundle block adjustment is used to improve the georeferencing accuracy. A new on-orbit sensor calibration method that can correct the misalignment angles between the spacecraft and the TLC and the misalignment of charge-coupled device is described. All of the calibration processes are performed using a multistrip data set. The control points are automatically matched from existing digital ortho map and digital elevation model. To fully evaluate the accuracy of different calibration methods, the calibrated parameters are used as input data to conduct georeferencing and bundle adjustment with a total of 19 strips of ZY-3 TLC data. A systematic error compensation model is introduced as the sensor model in bundle adjustment to compensate for the position and attitude errors. Numerous experiments demonstrate that the new calibration model can largely improve the external accuracy of direct georeferencing from the kilometer level to better than 20 m in both plane and height. A further bundle block adjustment with medium-accuracy ground control points (GCPs), using these calibrated parameters, can achieve external accuracy of about 4 m in plane and 3 m in height. Higher accuracy of about 1.3 m in plane and 1.7 m in height can be achieved by bundle adjustment using high-accuracy GCPs.