Ground-Aware Interpolation for UAV-Based Sugarcane Height Estimation: Achieving High Accuracy without GCPs or RTK

<p dir="ltr">Accurate and frequent monitoring of plant height is critical for precision management in sugarcane cultivation. However, conventional UAV photogrammetry workflows are often hampered by the operational inefficiency of using Ground Control Points (GCPs) or the high cost of...

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المؤلف الرئيسي: Adulwit Chinapas (21535517) (author)
منشور في: 2025
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author Adulwit Chinapas (21535517)
author_facet Adulwit Chinapas (21535517)
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Adulwit Chinapas (21535517)
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-09-05T04:43:07Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 10.6084/m9.figshare.29312006.v2
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://figshare.com/articles/software/DSM-GLB-interpolation/29312006
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv CC BY 4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Geospatial information systems and geospatial data modelling
Photogrammetry and remote sensing
Agricultural engineering
Precision Agriculture
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
Plant Height Estimation
Digital Surface Model (DSM)
PGR (Peripheral Ground Reference)
GAPI (Ground-Aware Point Interpolation)
Sugarcane
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Ground-Aware Interpolation for UAV-Based Sugarcane Height Estimation: Achieving High Accuracy without GCPs or RTK
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Software
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
software
description <p dir="ltr">Accurate and frequent monitoring of plant height is critical for precision management in sugarcane cultivation. However, conventional UAV photogrammetry workflows are often hampered by the operational inefficiency of using Ground Control Points (GCPs) or the high cost of Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) systems. A fundamental challenge for low-cost approaches is the generation of an accurate Digital Terrain Model (DTM) once the ground is obscured by a dense crop canopy. This study introduces a novel method for sugarcane height estimation that operates without GCPs or RTK by intelligently deriving a DTM from on-season RGB imagery. The proposed approach, Ground-Aware Point Interpolation (GAPI), identifies sparse, true-ground elevation points from inter-row spaces within the photogrammetric point cloud and uses them to construct a robust DTM. A naive attempt to filter a DTM from the dense canopy point cloud without this method resulted in a high Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 2.81 m, highlighting the severity of this challenge. In contrast, the GAPI method, validated across five distinct sugarcane field types, achieved an average RMSE of 0.39 m and a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 10% when compared to manual field measurements. By eliminating the need for GCP setup, the proposed approach reduces field operation time for a 10-hectare survey by 80%, from approximately 100 minutes to 20 minutes. This provides a practical, scalable, and cost-effective solution for high-frequency crop monitoring, enabling more timely and data-driven agricultural management.</p>
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
id Manara_d3e7edf7549ccad91c82e9fb98e82e49
identifier_str_mv 10.6084/m9.figshare.29312006.v2
network_acronym_str Manara
network_name_str ManaraRepo
oai_identifier_str oai:figshare.com:article/29312006
publishDate 2025
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository_id_str
rights_invalid_str_mv CC BY 4.0
spelling Ground-Aware Interpolation for UAV-Based Sugarcane Height Estimation: Achieving High Accuracy without GCPs or RTKAdulwit Chinapas (21535517)Geospatial information systems and geospatial data modellingPhotogrammetry and remote sensingAgricultural engineeringPrecision AgricultureUnmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)Plant Height EstimationDigital Surface Model (DSM)PGR (Peripheral Ground Reference)GAPI (Ground-Aware Point Interpolation)Sugarcane<p dir="ltr">Accurate and frequent monitoring of plant height is critical for precision management in sugarcane cultivation. However, conventional UAV photogrammetry workflows are often hampered by the operational inefficiency of using Ground Control Points (GCPs) or the high cost of Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) systems. A fundamental challenge for low-cost approaches is the generation of an accurate Digital Terrain Model (DTM) once the ground is obscured by a dense crop canopy. This study introduces a novel method for sugarcane height estimation that operates without GCPs or RTK by intelligently deriving a DTM from on-season RGB imagery. The proposed approach, Ground-Aware Point Interpolation (GAPI), identifies sparse, true-ground elevation points from inter-row spaces within the photogrammetric point cloud and uses them to construct a robust DTM. A naive attempt to filter a DTM from the dense canopy point cloud without this method resulted in a high Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 2.81 m, highlighting the severity of this challenge. In contrast, the GAPI method, validated across five distinct sugarcane field types, achieved an average RMSE of 0.39 m and a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 10% when compared to manual field measurements. By eliminating the need for GCP setup, the proposed approach reduces field operation time for a 10-hectare survey by 80%, from approximately 100 minutes to 20 minutes. This provides a practical, scalable, and cost-effective solution for high-frequency crop monitoring, enabling more timely and data-driven agricultural management.</p>2025-09-05T04:43:07ZSoftwareinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionsoftware10.6084/m9.figshare.29312006.v2https://figshare.com/articles/software/DSM-GLB-interpolation/29312006CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/293120062025-09-05T04:43:07Z
spellingShingle Ground-Aware Interpolation for UAV-Based Sugarcane Height Estimation: Achieving High Accuracy without GCPs or RTK
Adulwit Chinapas (21535517)
Geospatial information systems and geospatial data modelling
Photogrammetry and remote sensing
Agricultural engineering
Precision Agriculture
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
Plant Height Estimation
Digital Surface Model (DSM)
PGR (Peripheral Ground Reference)
GAPI (Ground-Aware Point Interpolation)
Sugarcane
status_str publishedVersion
title Ground-Aware Interpolation for UAV-Based Sugarcane Height Estimation: Achieving High Accuracy without GCPs or RTK
title_full Ground-Aware Interpolation for UAV-Based Sugarcane Height Estimation: Achieving High Accuracy without GCPs or RTK
title_fullStr Ground-Aware Interpolation for UAV-Based Sugarcane Height Estimation: Achieving High Accuracy without GCPs or RTK
title_full_unstemmed Ground-Aware Interpolation for UAV-Based Sugarcane Height Estimation: Achieving High Accuracy without GCPs or RTK
title_short Ground-Aware Interpolation for UAV-Based Sugarcane Height Estimation: Achieving High Accuracy without GCPs or RTK
title_sort Ground-Aware Interpolation for UAV-Based Sugarcane Height Estimation: Achieving High Accuracy without GCPs or RTK
topic Geospatial information systems and geospatial data modelling
Photogrammetry and remote sensing
Agricultural engineering
Precision Agriculture
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
Plant Height Estimation
Digital Surface Model (DSM)
PGR (Peripheral Ground Reference)
GAPI (Ground-Aware Point Interpolation)
Sugarcane