Experience with Block Adjustment in ArcMap 10.3.1 and 10.4

[IsaacMedel_Calvo]

Hello,

I would like to know some possitive experience with this new capacity include since version 10.3. I tried to use in both versions 10.3 and 10.4 and I can't obtain good results.

The workflow seems easy and I have experience in other software without any problem.

I tried to use different kind of images like Worlview-3, Spot 6 and 7, GeoEye-1, and all cases my problems are the same.

I explain my problems and results to do the process.

- First I configure my Mosaic Dataset with 2 o 3 images (depend of the sensor), with and overlap about 10-30%, I include the geometric model, dtm, and so on. I tried using overview and without overviews.

- My first step is "Compute Tie Points", using several combinations in similitary, density and distribution and in all cases I obtain a buch of points locate in the overlap, but with many areas with any point. The bounch of point is similar to concentrate (grouped) in a square area. If I repeat the same process with the same paremeters the bounch change the area with the same patern. The quality is good but not cover all ther overlap area.

- When I compute a Control points I used a reference image with similar resolution an area, the results are very bad, very few points in bounch areas (in some case only 1 or 2 bunches of points, and bad referenced), with a very small cover of the Mosaic Dataset.

I tried to execute this tools in ArcGIS Pro 1.2 with same results, and my opinion a little more slow than ArcMap 10.4 in the same machine.

This solution could be very effective and killer in some clients that only work with imagery and need to do a simple block adjustment and have some pieces of the ArcGIS Platform.

If anyone have a good experience or a workflow thats works fine could welcome.

Thanks in Advance

Isaac

[NickFitzgerald1]

I have a similar issue. What's more I cannot work out how to edit the control points/tie points like you would in the traditional georeferencing tools. The automatically generated points seems like a good place to start but it requires a simple workflow to delete/switch off unwanted points and manually add new points. Unfortunately I can't work out how to do this in block adjustment and there are no tutorials for this toolset online.

[HongXu]

The block adjustment released at ArcGIS 10.3 and 10.4 has limited functionality where the adjustment is computed based on polynomial fitting rather than the rigorous triangulation by using camera model. However, this has been greatly enhanced since ArcGIS 10.5/Pro 1.4 release in which the block adjustment supports both RPC triangulation (for satellite images) and frame camera triangulation (for aerial images and drone images). I suggest that you upgrade your software to use the latest solution (ArcGIS 10.6 and Pro 2.1).

Regarding the questions in the older version:

1.  ArcGIS computes tie points from the selected blocks (or zones) within the overlap area, this is adequate for adjustment computation but with less computation time.

2. For computing control points from a reference, the result might be sensitive to the reference image, but in recent release (ArcGIS 10.5 and 10.6) , the Compute Tie point and Compute Control Point tools have been enhanced to handle images of low location accuracy ( a new location accuracy parameter = low/medium/height), hope this can solve your problem

3. For editing tie point, you can use the Block Adjustment Window. It is available in ArcMap since 10.3 which has  full user experience for editing tie points.  It is a custom button, to use, add from Customize -> Customize Mode->Commands-Window, then drag the Block Adjustment button to any of the toolbar). Similar functionality is yet available in Pro but will be in future release.

Regards,

Hong Xu