A linear regression approach for Best Scanline Determination in the object to image space transformation using pushbroom images

The use of linear array pushbroom images presents a new challenge in photogrammetric applications when it comes to transforming object coordinates to image coordinates. To address this issue, the Best Scanline Search/Determination (BSS/BSD) field focuses on obtaining the Exterior Orientation Parameters (EOPs) of each individual scanline. Current solutions are often impractical for real-time tasks due to their high time requirements and complexities. This is because they are based on the Collinearity Equation (CE) in an iterative procedure for each ground point. This study aims to develop a novel BSD framework that does not need repetitive usage of the CE with a lower computational complexity. The Linear Regression Model (LRM) forms the basis of the proposed BSD approach and uses Simulated Control Points (SCOPs) and Simulated Check Points (SCPs). The proposed method is comprised of two main steps: the training phase and the test phase. The SCOPs are used to calculate the unknown parameters of the LR model during the training phase. Then, the SCPs are used to evaluate the accuracy and execution time of the method through the test phase. The evaluation of the proposed method was conducted using ten various pushbroom images, 5 million SCPs, and a limited number of SCOPs. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) was found to be in the order of ten to the power of negative nine (pixel), indicating very high accuracy. Furthermore, the proposed approach is more robust than the previous well-known BSS/BSD methods when handling various pushbroom images, making it suitable for practical and real-time applications due to its high speed, which only requires 2–3 s of time.