Checking exterior orientation

The exterior-orientation files should represent a data set that is bundle adjusted properly. This means that the exterior orientation (EO) should be accurate such that the position (x,y,z) and orientation (omega, phi, kappa) for each image provided are known. Any errors with the EO will be propagated to the final result created by CATALYST Enterprise, and you should, therefore check and understand the errors prior to running any data in CATALYST Enterprise.

Check, identify, and verify the following:

Is the EO information for the camera or plane?

EO data must be for the plane.
What parameters are provided in the EO?

Both position and orientation are required.
What is the order of the parameters?
If provided in a text file, CATALYST Enterprise supports either:
- Image_ID X Y Z Omega Phi Kappa
- Image_ID X Y Z Phi Omega Kappa
A common source of confusion with EO is the order of the orientation angles: omega, phi, and kappa. In most instances, omega and phi are close to 0, whereas kappa may not be.

In developing an aerial math model, kappa represents the orientation of the image to north.
What are the units and projection of the parameters provided? What is the equivalent PCI map string?

Correct identification of the units and projection of the EO is imperative.
Position (x,y) should be examined. Are the coordinates in Long/Lat (decimal degrees)? Are they in UTM? Something else? Be sure you know exactly what the units and projection are:
- What are the units of the z-coordinates? What is the height datum being used?
- What is the equivalent PCI map-projection string for the position?
- Are the units of the orientation in radians, gradients, or degrees?
Are there at least the same number of entries in the EO file as there are images provided?

To work properly with the imagery provided, CATALYST Enterprise must have EO for all of the images. While it can often be difficult to verify that every image has an entry in the EO file—for example, with a project of thousands of images—there should be at least enough EO entries for each image that you will test.