Impact of UAV Photogrammetric Flight and Processing Parameters on Terrain Modelling Accuracy in Ageing Deciduous and Mixed Forests: A SHAP-Based Analysis

Szász, Botond and Brolly, Gábor and Király, Géza (2026) Impact of UAV Photogrammetric Flight and Processing Parameters on Terrain Modelling Accuracy in Ageing Deciduous and Mixed Forests: A SHAP-Based Analysis. GEOMATICS, 6 (1). ISSN 2673-7418

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Abstract

In this study, we investigated the effects of flight and processing parameters on the accuracy of UAV-based photogrammetric digital terrain models (DTM) generated from RGB imagery in ageing deciduous and mixed forest stands. Four 100 × 100 m sample plots were selected, for which the reference terrain surface was established using terrestrial laser scanning. Photogrammetric DTMs derived from various parameter combinations were compared against this reference, analysing the magnitude of deviations and the influence of individual parameters through SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) analysis. Based on the identified effects, we provide recommendations for optimal workflows and parameter settings. The processing chain also incorporates a targeted raster-level smoothing procedure developed by the authors, which effectively removes DTM errors caused by point cloud noise left by filtering algorithms, thereby reducing extreme deviations from the reference surface. The results show that the absolute mean elevation error is primarily influenced by flight parameters and ground point classification scale (parameter of the lasground algorithm). Optimal flight parameters were determined at a flight altitude of 100 m, with 80% front and 90% side overlap. Furthermore, a ground classification scale of 9 m proved optimal in forested environments. The proposed targeted smoothing significantly reduced extreme errors, yielding DTMs with a mean error of approximately 6 cm and maximum deviations of about 40 cm. These accuracies demonstrate that UAV-based photogrammetry, when carefully parameterised, provides a reliable basis for surface model normalization and subsequent forest structural analyses.

Tudományterület / tudományág

engineering and technology
engineering and technology > agricultural engineering

Faculty

Not relevant

Institution

Soproni Egyetem

Item Type:	Article
SWORD Depositor:	Teszt Sword
Depositing User:	Csaba Horváth
Identification Number:	MTMT:37006841
Date Deposited:	13 Mar 2026 08:11
Last Modified:	13 Mar 2026 08:11
URI:	http://publicatio.uni-sopron.hu/id/eprint/3948

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