Remote sensing has developed such as optics, sensor electronics, satellite platforms, transmission systems and computer data processing. Nowadays, a series of satellites were lunched as IKONOS, QUICKBIRD, WORLD-VIEW and GEO EYE providing high resolution images to the earth’s surface up to 50 cm. The growing availability of high resolution Google-Earth satellite images led to evaluations of large scale maps that can be produced from these images which can be used in urban planning purposes. The main objective of this research was study of the possibility of using Google Earth satellite images for producing large scale maps as an alternative source to other very high resolution satellite images through comparing these maps with their corresponding maps produced from QUICKBIRD satellite images. Maps can be created from these images by the Orthorectification process which is the process of geometrically correcting an image from elevation errors using GPS Ground Control Points (GCPs) and DEM. The relief displacement of buildings can be corrected using DBM, so that it can be represented on a planar surface, conform to other images or maps. The study shows that the RMS for maps were 1.05 m for QUICKBIRD and 0.76 m for Google Earth image. The RMS was within the required standard map accuracy for a map scale 1:5000 according to the three map accuracy standards (NMAS, ASPRS, NSSDA). The RMS was also within the required standard map accuracy for a map scale 1:2500 according to both the NMAS and NSSDA standards only. |
