A Method of Viewshed Analysis Based on Azimuth Information Processing

In order to improve the accuracy of viewshed analysis based on DEM(Digital Elevation Model, DEM) elevation data, a new viewshed analysis method in local cartesian coordinate system was proposed to solve the problem of “regularity assumption” in existing algorithms. According to the characteristics of DEM elevation data format, the definition and computing method of grid azimuth were given, and the concepts of maximum azimuth and minimum azimuth of grid were proposed to accurately reflect the azimuth information. The algorithm was able to accurately obtain all grids that affect the visibility of the target point, and then judge the visibility of the target point by comparing the pitch Angle of these grids and the target point. As a comparative verification, three different viewshed analysis algorithms were implemented. The simulation results show that the new proposed algorithm is easy to implement and can effectively complete the viewshed analysis based on DEM data. The proposed algorithm has high analysis accuracy and is suitable for the scene requiring high analysis accuracy