Performance Quality Control of Pushbroom Sensors in Photogrammetric Flights

The performance quality control of pushbroom sensors in photogrammetric flights is an important step in the photogrammetric workflow, especially since major advances in direct orientation and the stabilization of sensors have taken place. Although there are technical specifications and standardized protocols for photogrammetric flights executed with analogical or digital frame sensors, there is not a clear methodology on the specification of required parameters to carry out the performance quality control of the modern pushbroom sensors. Even though pushbroom sensors require of global navigational satellite and inertial systems during the image acquisition, providing the capability of direct geopositioning, the weak and complex image geometry of pushbroom sensors entails establishing a specific quality control approach in comparison with frame sensors. This paper proposes the parameters and the methodology for performance quality control of pushbroom sensors in photogrammetric flights. Our scientific targets are threefold: to analyze the particular way in which the classic frame sensor performance need to be adapted to the circumstances of the pushbroom sensor; to implement a methodology (software) to apply this analysis; and to asses it by means of a real case study, showing that its application can highly improve the performance of pushbroom sensors, and thus the quality of the obtained results. This goal is relevant and beneficial to sensors community, since a procedure like this does not exist and pushbroom sensors performance is being assessed by means of the classical (frame sensors) quality control methods in photogrammetric flights.