ICCBT2008

Estimating the Quality of Digital Terrain Model Generated from

RTK GPS Data on Terrain with Various Sky of Views

Dedi Atunggal SP*, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, MALAYSIA

B.K. Cahyono, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, MALAYSIA
Abd Nasir Matori, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, MALAYSIA

ABSTRACT

Digital Terrain Model is an essential tool in many engineering projects including civil
engineering. Most of civil engineering projects are in large scale applications which
commonly use high-resolution DTM. One of the consequences of using such digital model is
the need to characterize its quality. This article is based on the experiment of studying the
effect of sky of view on the accuracy of RTK GPS data and its influence on the quality of the
generated DTM. This is due to the fact that obstruction is the main factor which normally
decreases the quality of GPS data. Total station survey was carried out to provide the
reference DTM. Grid-based points sampling was used to ensure an apple to apple comparison
between the RTK GPS DTM and the reference DTM. Height error and volumetric error
analysis were taken as the parameter of the DTM quality. Result of the experiment shows that
applying RTK GPS for data collection tool on area with average sky of view of above 60%
can produce a good quality of DTM with height errors ranging from millimeters to a few
centimeters, and volumetric error of approximately 0.5%. Less quality of DTM was generated
for area with average sky of view between 60% and 50% with volumetric error of about 1%.
While, unreliable DTM was generated for area with average sky of view below 50% where
height error reached a decimeter and volumetric error reached almost 6%.

Keywords: RTK GPS, Total Station, sky of view, DTM, quality measure.

*Correspondence Author: Dedi Atunggal SP, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Malaysia. Tel: +605-3688000,
Fax: +605-3654075. E-mail: d.atunggal@gmail.com

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Estimating the Quality of DTM Generated from RTK GPS Data on Terrain with Various Sky of
Views
1. INTRODUCTION

Digital Terrain Model is a useful means for engineering projects including civil engineering.
The use of DTM in civil engineering projects has always been assessed from technical and
financial point of view. This is especially dealt with the data capture phase where greatest
time and cost are recognized.

Land surveying by using total station is the conventional method that have been used for years
for high resolution DTM data collection, while, there is a growing interest on the use of laser
scanning, or famously known as Light Detecting and Ranging (LIDAR). The former is
considered to be labor intensive, relatively slow in term of survey speed, and requires
intervisibility between stations [1]. The later which is a new technology, offers much faster
speed of survey and has revolutionized the process of DTM data collection [2]. Nevertheless,
more processing time is required since the different between surface and terrain is often
difficult [2]. Real Time Kinematic GPS (RTK GPS) offers an alternative where less surveyor
needed for the survey, no inter visibility between stations is required, and terrain information
can be directly obtained.

One of the drawbacks of using GPS particularly RTK GPS is that its performance depends on
the level of sky clearness or the so called sky of view [3]. It is a parameter which signs the
area openness so that GPS signal can be directly tracked by GPS receiver without having
disturbed or blocked by obstructions (building, trees, etc). Generally, quality of GPS data is
proportional to this parameter where better sky of view allows better GPS positioning. Hence,
it is interesting to study the performance of RTK GPS under various skies of view and its
influence to the generated DTM. This is due to the fact that one of the important factors that
should be considered in using DTM is the quality characterization of the DTM itself. This is a
particularly relevant issue in civil engineering where - as well as the technical inferences - a
lack of quality in the DTM can lead importance economic deviations during project execution
[4-6]

In parallel with the use of DTM among civil engineering and various other applications, many
methods were developed to determine DTM accuracy that was better adapted to the respective
applications [4]. Several previous related works had proposed methods based on
geomorphometric analysis where the DTM was characterized quantitatively by several
numeric parameters. As an example, a set of parameters that has been used is: elevation,
curvature, roughness, and slope [5]. Practically, these quantitative parameters are a very
complex subject and difficult to be determined [1].

A simple yet useful method that has commonly been used in civil engineering for DTM
quality measure is the height error analysis together with volumetric accuracy analysis by
comparison with certain model used as reference. The later is especially important since
volume measurement is very essential and holds an economic importance in civil engineering
projects. On the other hand, error on the height value is often used as one of the indicator of
the DTM quality [4]. The height error analysis is very efficient since it requires only a set of
strategic points to have a control over the models. Besides, it also serves as control over the
volume estimation method. This is due to the fact that this error will also commonly lead to
volumetric error as well. The aims of the work presented on this paper is estimating the
quality of high resolution DTM generated from RTK GPS data on terrain with various sky of

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 Dedi Atunggal SP et. al.

views. Height error and volumetric error analysis were taken as the parameter of the quality of
the DTM. Total station survey was carried out to provide the reference model used for the
comparison.

2. STUDY AREA
The DTM data collections were carried out at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS. The study
area were comprises of two different terrains which has significant different in term of sky of
view. The first terrain namely as Terrain-1, is characterized with an open area where
obstruction only contributed by vegetations on the northern and western side of the area. The
average sky of view of the area is approximately 68%. The illustration of Terrain-1 condition
is given on Figure.1.

Building

SOV 55%

SOV 74%

Average SOV 68%

Building North

Figure.1 Sky of View (SOV) Illustration of Terrain-1

The second terrain, namely as Terrain-2, is a relatively flat terrain with a steep slope on the
western side of the area. It is characterized with a significantly less average sky of view of
approximately 59%. This is due to various vegetations that cover nearly half of the area. The
illustration of Terrain-2 is given on Figure.2.

Average SOV 59%

Building
SOV 59%

SOV
62% SOV 55%

SOV 49%

Building North

Figure.2 Sky of View (SOV) Illustration of Terrain-2

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Estimating the Quality of DTM Generated from RTK GPS Data on Terrain with Various Sky of
Views
3. RTK GPS TECHNIQUE

The Real Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS technique is a differential positioning technique that
uses known coordinates of a reference station occupied by one receiver to determine
coordinates of unknown points visited by other receiver called as rover receiver [3]. As like
static GPS, the RTK GPS reference station is set on a point of known coordinates but the use
of a data link to transfer measurements acquired at the reference receiver to the roving
receiver, allows real time calculation of the rover coordinates. The illustration of RTK GPS
system is given on Figure.1 [9].

Reference Rover
Figure.1 RTK GPS System

RTK GPS survey requires two control points or benchmarks, one benchmark as its reference
station and another one as its initial points [7]. This is particularly employed for projects
where the survey execution requires more than a single session measurement.
The base station is the place where we set the reference receiver complemented with a data
link device which transmits the RTK GPS correction signal in real time to the rover receiver.
The initial point is the benchmark that serves as a checkpoint of the RTK system. It has to be
measured at the beginning of each RTK session. This is aimed to check the RTK system setup
for any possible error that might occurs. The rover receiver is the mobile receiver which is
used to collect data throughout the study areas [7].
In this work, the RTK GPS reference station was set at PG01 benchmark while the initial
point was set at PP15. These two benchmarks are located on Terrain-1, in front of
Postgraduate Office of Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS. The coordinates of the base station
(PG01) is used as the initial coordinates for the derivation of rover’s RTK positions
throughout the survey area. The setup of the reference station used for the experiment is given
on Figure.2.

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 Dedi Atunggal SP et. al.

Figure.2 RTK GPS Reference Station

The rover receiver was mounted on a GPS pole with two meters height. Data recording were
done by using ranger controller, using Survey ProTM software operated on a Windows CE
system. The ranger controller was adjusted on the middle of the pole. It was complemented
with a level bubble to ensure true vertical position of the rover receiver during the survey. The
setup is given on Figure.3.

Figure.3 RTK GPS Rover Receiver

4. DTM DATA COLLECTION

DTM data collections were performed by grid-based sampling. It was carried out by
collecting 3D position over a regular grid. Each of the grid-point was marked using temporary
benchmark. This was intended to ensure that both total station and RTK GPS survey observed
exactly on the same point. Firstly, total station survey over the grid-points was carried out to
provide the reference model of the DTM. Afterward, RTK GPS survey was performed
through the respective grid-points. The RTK GPS rover receiver setting was adjusted to

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Estimating the Quality of DTM Generated from RTK GPS Data on Terrain with Various Sky of
Views
provide a real time alert for any float RTK solution, or when it exceeds the RMS (Root Mean
Square) threshold of the 3D position (Horizontal RMS = 3cm, Vertical RMS = 5cm). This
was intended to enable re-occupation for grid-points with RTK solutions accuracy lower than
the threshold.

Data collection on Terrain-1 was quiet straight forward since most of the area is an open area.
RTK fix position can be attained easily where the available satellite in view was mostly at six
or seven satellites. A low number of DOP (Dilution of precision) of three to five also
contributed the easy achievement of those fix solutions. There were only a few cases of float
solution for some grid-point occupations on the northern part of the area where it is covered
by trees. The precision of most of the RTK position fix solutions were ranging from 0.6cm to
1.2cm for horizontal position, and 0.8cm to 1.5cm for the height. While, for the float
solutions, it was ranging from 0.9cm to 1.5cm for the horizontal position, and 0.9cm to 2cm
for the height. No re-occupation was performed since all the result is within the RMS
threshold.

Different from the previous survey, data collection on Terrain-2 is relatively slower and less
convenience. This is due to the condition of the Terrain where nearly half of the area is
covered with various vegetations. Fix solution still can be collected relatively easy on the
open area. But unlike as the previous survey on Terrain-1, here, several float solutions
occurred on the open area, particularly on grid-points which was close to the obstructed area.
The illustration of RTK solutions are shown on Figure.3
SOV 59%, Fix=60%, Float=40%

Total Average of
SOV=59%
Building
SOV 55%
SOV 62% Fix = 60%
Fix =85% Float = 40%
Float =15%
SOV49%
Float 100%

Building North

Figure.3 RTK Solutions of Terrain-2

For the area with sky of view in between 50% to 60%, the RTK float solutions were almost
one third of the total sampled point. While, the rest two third of the solutions were fix
solutions. Amongst those float solutions; there were few cases where re-occupations were
performed to get a better solution. This was particularly done for float solutions which
exceeded the RMS threshold. While, for area with average sky of view below 50%, all RTK
solutions were float. Re-occupation were performed over nearly three fourth of the total grid-

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points. These re-occupations effected the data collection to be relatively slow and less
convenience.

5. DTM PROCESSING

The DTM processing was done by using Triangular Irregular Network (TIN) as shown on
Figure.4. This was formed by connecting triangle legs between neighboring data using
Delaunay Criterion [8]. Based on this model, DTM was generated by rendering the TIN
surfaces with certain exaggeration scale for the z values.

Terrain-1 TIN Terrain-2 TIN

Figure.4 TIN of Terrain-1 and Terrain-2

The merit of using TIN is the ability to represent the topographic information at a both small
and large scale of resolution. Furthermore, by using this, it is easy to define the volume of the
DTM. The volume computation was done by using simple mathematical formula of triangular
prism, see Figure.5. For triangular prism which has edges perpendicular to the base triangle,
the volume was calculated as follow;
V = area (T1’, T2’, T3’)*(T1T1’, T2T2’, T3T3’)/3
While, for area which edges not perpendicular to the base triangle, the volume was calculated
as follow;
V = area (T1”, T2”, T3”)*(T1T1’, T2T2’, T3T3’)/3
Where T1”, T2”and T3” denote any perpendicular section of the prism.

Figure.5 Triangular Prism Basis for Volume Computation

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Estimating the Quality of DTM Generated from RTK GPS Data on Terrain with Various Sky of
Views
6. EXPERIMENTAL RESULT

Absolute mean error was used as the statistical indicator of the DTM accuracy. The fact that it
is expressed in absolute terms has the advantage that errors with different signs will not cancel
each other, which allow a more rigorous characterization of the height errors. The summary of
the statistical properties of Terrain-1 DTM is given on Table.1; the representation of the DTM
is given on Figure.6.

Table.1 Statistical Properties of Terrain-1 DTM

Statistic Height Error
Absolute Mean Error 2.44 cm
Minimum Error 0.3 cm
Maximum Error 6 cm
Error Range: Total /Percentage
to Total Points:
0 - 0.99 cm 4 points (1.87%)
1 - 1.99 cm 64 points (29.91%)
2 - 2.99 cm 97 points (45.33%)
3 - 3.99 cm 27 points (12.62%)
4 - 4.99 cm 16 points (7.48%)
5 - 5.99 cm 5 points (2.34%)
6 - 6.99 cm 1 points (0.47%)
>7 cm 0 points (0%)

The statistic was calculated by comparing a total of 214 grid-points gained by RTK GPS
survey with the respective result given by TS survey. As shown on the figure above, the
absolute mean of the height error is 2.4cm. The computed volume of the DTM was
6145.245m3, while the reference DTM was 6175.188m3. It means that the difference of the
volume is 29.943m3. This also means that the loss volume is only 0.48%. It shows that
Terrain-1 DTM, which was generated from RTK GPS data over area with average sky
clearness 68%, is of good quality.

Reference DTM (Total Station) Terrain-1 DTM (RTK GPS)

Figure.6 DTM of Terrain-1

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The DTM of Terrain-2 which has average sky clearness 58% is comparatively lower in term
of accuracy. The height error of the DTM which was calculated from 209 grid-points is
relatively higher compares to Terrain-1 DTM that is 4.12cm. Summary of the statistical
properties of Terrain-2 DTM is given on Table.2.below.

Table.2 Statistical Properties of Terrain-2 DTM

Statistic Height Error

Absolute Mean Error 4.12 cm

Minimum Error 0.005 cm
Maximum Error 16.69 cm
Range 16.685 cm
Amount of Points and
Error: Percentage to Total Points:
0 - 0.99 cm 3 points (1.44%)
1 - 1.99 cm 9 points (4.31%)
2 - 2.99 cm 30 points (14.35%)
3 - 3.99 cm 84 points (40.19%)
4 - 4.99 cm 54 points (25.84%)
5 - 5.99 cm 5 points (2.39%)
6 - 6.99 cm 2 points (0.96%)
7 - 7.99 cm 2 points (0.96%)
8 - 8.99 cm 8 points (3.83%)
9 - 9.99 cm 5 points (2.39%)
>10 cm 7 points (3.35%)

The higher value of absolute mean error is generally due to the effect of narrower sky of view.
Most of the large errors were contributed by grid-points under heavy obstructed area where
the sky of view is less than 50%. These also lead to a higher volumetric error where the
volume difference reaches 5.9% (Terrain-2 DTM volume = 2544.227m3, reference DTM =
2693.458m3, difference = 149.231m3). This was proven by experimentally ignoring the error
on the respective area, and re-computing the volume. As a result, the volume difference is
significantly improved and reached 1.02%. The representation of the DTM is given on
Figure.7.

Reference DTM (Total Station) Terrain-2 DTM (RTK GPS)

Figure.7 DTM of Terrain-2

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Estimating the Quality of DTM Generated from RTK GPS Data on Terrain with Various Sky of
Views
7. CONCLUSION

The aim of this paper was to asses the quality of DTM generated from RTK GPS. The focus
of the work was to study the effect of sky of view on the RTK solutions and its influence on
the generated DTM. The result of the experiment indicated that:
1. Applying RTK GPS for data collection tool on area with average sky of view of above
60% can produce a good quality of DTM with height errors ranging from millimeters
to a few centimeters, and volumetric accuracy of approximately 0.5%.
2. Less quality of DTM was generated for area with average sky of view between 60%
and 50% where height errors reached almost a decimeter and volumetric error reached
approximately 1%.
3. Applying RTK GPS for data collection tool on area with sky of view less than 50% is
not recommended since the resulting DTM might be unreliable.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thanks the Management and authorities of Universiti Teknologi
PETRONAS for their constant support and encouragement.

REFERENCES

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[4]. Meneses, A.S., et al. (2005), Quality Control in Digital Terrain Models, Journal of
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[5]. Karel, W. et al. (2006), DTM Quality Assessment, Proceeding of the ISPRS Technical
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[6]. Kraus, K. et al. (2004), Quality Measures for Digital Terrain Models, Proceeding of the
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