Can images from a 360 terrestrial camera be processed in ArcGIS Site Scan Manager?

[cdanielvarons]

Hi Imagery and Remote Sensing community, I have a question about Site Scan. Can images from a 360 terrestrial camera be processed in ArcGIS Site Scan Manager?

[AlexanderHong]

Yes, but there are dependencies.

We conducted a small proof of concept where we collected images from both terrestrial and drone using the same camera.  Metadata from the GPS and IMU (lat/long/pitch/yaw/roll) as well as lens focal length and HFOV and VFOV must be recorded in the image for the photogrammetry software to work.  Size of the object must be lower than the platform, e.g. if you are walking around the object you must be taller than the object.  You'll need proper overlap and sidelap, we had 60% and 40% with success.  Also, area needs to be manageable, i.e. walking a substation the size of a football field requires > 1000 images and the consistency would be difficult to maintain.  

So, our PoC showed that small objects and small areas (relative to a football field size substation) were processed successfully in Site Scan.  Large areas produced less than desireable products, not because of the software but directly related to the variability of humans acquiring images.

[CodyBenkelman]

Alexander

This sounds like your test was done with a normal frame camera (SLR, iPhone, etc.).  Can you confirm you were using a camera that captured full 360 degree images?   What output products did you generate in Site Scan?

Cody B

[AlexanderHong]

Cody,

The camera was a DJI Zenmuse P1, and we generated a 2D orthoimage and 3D mesh point cloud.

Alex

[CodyBenkelman]

Alex

OK got it, thanks.  In this thread, Carlos was asking about a 360 camera (he didn't specify which one - something like https://www.insta360.com/ or https://www.flir.eu/products/ladybug6) that shoots images in all directions and generates a composite spherical image from every exposure station.

Cody

[CodyBenkelman · Accepted solution]

Carlos

Can you clarify what output products you are seeking, and why you're using a 360 degree camera?  Photogrammetric processing generally assumes you're working with a frame camera with a single sensor, and looking toward your project area.  Terrestrial data capture is definitely a challenge, but adding the 360 views looking in all directions makes the processing much more complicated.  If you're seeking an orthomosaic, you need to capture from above, and if you're seeking to generate a 3D mesh or point cloud, I would recommend a single frame camera, not a 360.  

If you need a solution for 360 degree imagery, you should consider oriented imagery in ArcGIS.  See https://esriurl.com/OrientedImageryWorkflow 

Cody B.