Comprehensive comparison of VHR 3D spatial data acquired from IKONOS and TerraSAR-X imagery

With the launch of very high resolution (VHR) optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) remote sensing satellites such as IKONOS and TerraSAR-X, a new era has begun in 3D spatial data acquirement. IKONOS provided the first VHR data is still being preferred for many remote sensing applications. TerraSAR-X is considered as a revolution in SAR imaging as a result of 1 m resolution imaging capability. The imaging principles of these satellites are quite different and include advantages and disadvantages that have considerable effects on the quality of acquired 3D spatial data.In this research, we aim to compare qualities of high resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) generated from IKONOS and TSX imagery based on a reference model. Quality assessment was realized considering two main components as accuracy and visuality on different land classes. Results of comprehensive analyses indicate that the qualities of 3D data derived from IKONOS and TSX HS are almost identical and DEMs of both satellites can be used for various applications.