IKONOS Stereo Matching with Land Cover Map for DEM Generation

Various matching methods have been introduced by investigators to improve digital elevation model (DEM) accuracy of satellite imagery. This study proposed an area-based matching method according to land cover property using correlation coefficient of pixel brightness value between the two images for DEM generation from IKONOS stereo imagery. For this, matching line (where "matching line" implies straight line that is approximated to complex nonlinear epipolar geometry) is established by exterior orientation parameters to minimize search area. The matching is carried out based on this line. Land cover classes are divided off into water, urban land, forest and agricultural land. Matching size is selected using a correlation-coefficient image in the four areas. The selected sizes are $81{\times}81$ pixels window, $21{\times}21$ pixels window, $119{\times}119$ pixels window and $51{\times}51$ pixels window in the water area, urban land, forest land and agricultural land, respectively. And hence, DEM is generated from IKONOS stereo imagery using the selected matching sizes and land cover map on the four types.