Helicopter aerial photogrammetry surveys of Davis station and Vestfold Hills

During the Summer of 2022, high resolution aerial surveys were flown over 3 distinct project areas in Antarctica, in the Davis station region of the Vestfold Hills. Three band (RGB) colour imagery was captured over each survey block at a planned resolution of 7.5 cm GSD. Gross area captured over the 3 survey areas was approximately 119 sqkm. Imagery was captured using one of Xmap’s portable mapping systems, flown in a squirrel B3 helicopter operated by Helicopter Resources. Ground ControlIt was identified that a Digital Elevation Model would also be required to be extracted from the captured imagery. To ensure vertical accuracy of the DEM, ground control targets were laid in two of the three survey areas prior to the commencement of image capture. The co-ordinates and altitude of each target were recorded by AAD ground surveyors and provided to Xmap to be used in the aero triangulation of each of the photogrammetric blocks. Image CaptureImage capture was done using a portable mapping system provided by Xmap and flown on a Helicopter Resources squirrel helicopter. Xmap’s portable mapping system comprised of a high resolution digital camera with a fixed focus 28mm lens, a Novatel DGPS, and a flight management computer.