GPS-INS data integration for remote sensing

Summary form only given, as follows. Flight tests have been performed for the purpose of assessing the use of post-mission integrated data from GPS (Global Positioning System) and INS (inertial navigation system) systems for remote sensing applications. While GPS data alone are sufficient for aircraft guidance, they do not currently satisfy the requirement for position and attitude information at high data rates, with typical sampling times between 5 and 40 ms. This information is needed for image processing applications where data discontinuities greater than a few centimeters in the positions must be avoided. The authors describe the test design which provided for multiple GPS stations on the ground from which the GPS receiver in the aircraft was monitored. The airborne GPS receiver was precisely synchronized with the stable platform INS. The accuracy of position, velocity, and attitude was analyzed using different approaches to post-mission data integration. These results were then used to georeference the imagery from the Multiple-Detector Electro-Optical Imaging Scanner and to compare it to independent ground truth