Geometric conditions of space imagery for mapping

From the test field Zonguldak different high and very high resolution optical satellite images are available like TK350, ASTER, KOMPSAT-1, IRS-IC, SPOT 5, KVR1000, IKONOS and QuickBird. The images partially have been achieved as close to original images (level 1A) and partially projected to a plane with constant object height (level 1B). For some images, based on direct sensor information, a good image orientation is given which for some only has to be improved by a shift in X and Y, while for others only rough orientations are distributed. In addition sometimes the orientation has to be improved by additional parameters to compensate systematic geometric effects. Some orientation information of IKONOS- and QuickBird-images is available also as rational polynomial coefficients (RPCs), describing the relation between the image and the object coordinates by a ration of polynomials.