Simulation of DSM Generation from Optical Satellite in Arbitrary Conditions of Stereo Observation

This paper evaluates the digital surface model (DSM) generated from satellite stereo imageries that are simulated by the technology of 3-dimensional computer graphics (3D/CG), as one of the preliminary simulations for the future mission in the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). By using the 3D/CG instead of real satellite imageries, arbitrary conditions of stereo observation, such as the combinations of viewing angles, can be simulated with fewer limitations. Here we validate the effects of the B/H differences in the DSM generations as a first experiment of this approach. The height accuracies of the DSMs, which are derived from simulated stereo imageries of different B/Hs, are compared quantitatively. The result showed that height errors in the city area rapidly increase as the B/Hs are enlarged due to the effect of occlusions around the buildings.