Effects of Canopy and Multi-Epoch Observations on Single-Point Positioning Errors of a GNSS in Coniferous and Broadleaved Forests

Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) can quickly, efficiently, and accurately provide precise coordinates of points, lines, and surface elements, plus complete surveys and determine various boundary lines in forest investigations and management. The system has become a powerful tool for dynami...

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Main Authors: Tong Feng, Shilin Chen, Zhongke Feng, Chaoyong Shen, Yi Tian
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
Series:Remote Sensing
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/12/2325
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spelling doaj-13c7dc84b5bf41308ca6526398965d402021-07-01T00:06:34ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922021-06-01132325232510.3390/rs13122325Effects of Canopy and Multi-Epoch Observations on Single-Point Positioning Errors of a GNSS in Coniferous and Broadleaved ForestsTong Feng0Shilin Chen1Zhongke Feng2Chaoyong Shen3Yi Tian4Precision Forestry Key Laboratory of Beijing, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaPrecision Forestry Key Laboratory of Beijing, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaPrecision Forestry Key Laboratory of Beijing, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaPrecision Forestry Key Laboratory of Beijing, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaPrecision Forestry Key Laboratory of Beijing, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaGlobal navigation satellite systems (GNSS) can quickly, efficiently, and accurately provide precise coordinates of points, lines, and surface elements, plus complete surveys and determine various boundary lines in forest investigations and management. The system has become a powerful tool for dynamic forest resource investigations and monitoring. GNSS technology plays a unique and important role in estimating timber volume, calculating timber cutting area, and determining the location of virgin forest roads and individual trees in forests. In this study, we quantitatively analyzed the influence of crown size and observation time on the single-point positioning accuracy of GNSS receivers for different forest types. The GNSS located single points for different forest types and crown sizes, enabling the collection of data. The locating time for each tree was more than 10 min. Statistical methods were used to analyze the positioning accuracy of multi-epoch data, and a model was developed to estimate the maximum positioning errors under different forest conditions in a certain positioning time. The results showed that for a continuous positioning time of approximately 10 min, the maximum positioning accuracies in coniferous and broadleaf forests were obtained, which were 12.13 and 15.11 m, respectively. The size of a single canopy had no obvious influence on the single-point positioning error of the GNSS, and canopy density was proven to be closely related to the positioning accuracy of a GNSS. The determination coefficients (R<sup>2</sup>) in the regression analysis of the general model, coniferous forest model, and broadleaved forest model that were developed in this study were 0.579, 0.701, and 0.544, respectively. These results indicated that the model could effectively predict the maximum positioning error in a certain period of time under different forest types and crown conditions at middle altitudes, which has important guiding significance for forest resource inventories and precise forest management.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/12/2325tree canopymulti-epoch dataGNSS systemsingle-point positioningpositioning error model
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Tong Feng
Shilin Chen
Zhongke Feng
Chaoyong Shen
Yi Tian
spellingShingle Tong Feng
Shilin Chen
Zhongke Feng
Chaoyong Shen
Yi Tian
Effects of Canopy and Multi-Epoch Observations on Single-Point Positioning Errors of a GNSS in Coniferous and Broadleaved Forests
Remote Sensing
tree canopy
multi-epoch data
GNSS system
single-point positioning
positioning error model
author_facet Tong Feng
Shilin Chen
Zhongke Feng
Chaoyong Shen
Yi Tian
author_sort Tong Feng
title Effects of Canopy and Multi-Epoch Observations on Single-Point Positioning Errors of a GNSS in Coniferous and Broadleaved Forests
title_short Effects of Canopy and Multi-Epoch Observations on Single-Point Positioning Errors of a GNSS in Coniferous and Broadleaved Forests
title_full Effects of Canopy and Multi-Epoch Observations on Single-Point Positioning Errors of a GNSS in Coniferous and Broadleaved Forests
title_fullStr Effects of Canopy and Multi-Epoch Observations on Single-Point Positioning Errors of a GNSS in Coniferous and Broadleaved Forests
title_full_unstemmed Effects of Canopy and Multi-Epoch Observations on Single-Point Positioning Errors of a GNSS in Coniferous and Broadleaved Forests
title_sort effects of canopy and multi-epoch observations on single-point positioning errors of a gnss in coniferous and broadleaved forests
publisher MDPI AG
series Remote Sensing
issn 2072-4292
publishDate 2021-06-01
description Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) can quickly, efficiently, and accurately provide precise coordinates of points, lines, and surface elements, plus complete surveys and determine various boundary lines in forest investigations and management. The system has become a powerful tool for dynamic forest resource investigations and monitoring. GNSS technology plays a unique and important role in estimating timber volume, calculating timber cutting area, and determining the location of virgin forest roads and individual trees in forests. In this study, we quantitatively analyzed the influence of crown size and observation time on the single-point positioning accuracy of GNSS receivers for different forest types. The GNSS located single points for different forest types and crown sizes, enabling the collection of data. The locating time for each tree was more than 10 min. Statistical methods were used to analyze the positioning accuracy of multi-epoch data, and a model was developed to estimate the maximum positioning errors under different forest conditions in a certain positioning time. The results showed that for a continuous positioning time of approximately 10 min, the maximum positioning accuracies in coniferous and broadleaf forests were obtained, which were 12.13 and 15.11 m, respectively. The size of a single canopy had no obvious influence on the single-point positioning error of the GNSS, and canopy density was proven to be closely related to the positioning accuracy of a GNSS. The determination coefficients (R<sup>2</sup>) in the regression analysis of the general model, coniferous forest model, and broadleaved forest model that were developed in this study were 0.579, 0.701, and 0.544, respectively. These results indicated that the model could effectively predict the maximum positioning error in a certain period of time under different forest types and crown conditions at middle altitudes, which has important guiding significance for forest resource inventories and precise forest management.
topic tree canopy
multi-epoch data
GNSS system
single-point positioning
positioning error model
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/12/2325
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