Matching of high resolution optical data to a shaded DEM

One of the first essential steps in the analysis of satellite imagery is the orthorectification of the images. Orthorectification without ground control points (GCPs) using only the ephemeris and attitude data provided by the satellite operator provides an absolute accuracy of about 20 m to 1 km (depending on the satellite), which can be improved by measuring precise GCPs. In this paper, a method to obtain GCPs from an existing digital elevation model (DEM) is described and assessed. Since at least the SRTM DEM is available worldwide, DEMs could serve as a valuable additional source for the generation of GCPs. Furthermore, several planned and ongoing missions will increase the availability and accuracy of DEMs or stereo imagery respectively, e.g. ALOS, Tandem-X, etc.