[gdal-dev] Re: [Fwd: Re: Warping an already georeferenced image with control points

[Jan Hartmann]

Yes exactly! Brent highlights a point I never mentioned, and that may be 
the source of the confusion: when I add control points to an already 
georeferenced image, I gdalwarp it with the -tps option: a thin spline 
transformer, that transforms the control points to the exact 
georeferenced position, but stretches the areas in between. AFAIK, this 
is done by triangulation. This is different from a traditional warp, in 
which the eventual position of the control points on the georeferenced 
map has errors, although minimized ones. So in matching roads on two 
adjacent images, the road edges on both images are assigned the same 
georeferenced coordinates and then, after gdalwarp -tps, they exactly align.

So my workflow is:

gdalwarp raw image --> georeferenced image with correct projection, 
based on the corner points of the original map
gdal_translate : add control points to projected image, essentially 
small corrections of road edges and triangulation points for
                         which we know the exact coordinates from later 
sources
gdalwarp -tps georeferenced image --> georeferenced image with small 
corrections, where roads, churcht towers are on their exact locations

The whole procedure is something I do regularly with ArcGIS, not only 
with historical maps but also with things like aerial photographs, just 
like Brent describes. It can be done with gdal too, as described above, 
if only the second step would work. I still don't see why adding control 
points to an image that already has a projection defined, should destroy 
that projection information, including its georeferenced boundaries and 
dimensions. Even when this is not the case: when  a -a_srs flag is 
allowed for gdal_translate, it should be possible to add the complete 
geolocation information for that image too: bounds, pixel dimensions and 
geotranformation matrix, else the projection information doesn't make sense.

Have I made my intention a bit clearer now?

Jan

Brent Fraser wrote:
> Jan,
>
>  I think what you want gdalwarp to do is [Delauney] image 
> triangulation.  Not an uncommon (or unreasonable) request.  I 
> occasionally have a need for triangulation when mosaicking several 
> satellite images.  Its visually pleasing to have the roads match up 
> precisely where the images overlap...
>
> Brent Fraser
>
> Even Rouault wrote:
>> Jan,
>>
>> (I'm CC'ing the list)
>>
>> I'm not sure what you mean with adapting the pixelsize, now that the 
>> output has only GCPs and no more geotransform matrix.
>>
>> As far as including this option in baseline gdal_translate.cpp, I'm 
>> currently not really enthousiastic, as there are lots of way to get 
>> the result achieved (what is done with that patch could be done 
>> similarly with GDAL python API for instance) and the choice of 
>> corners is something rather arbitrary. Why should you trust the 
>> georeferenced coordinates of the corner points as reliable GCPs ? Why 
>> not some regularly discretized points along the edges ? Or a regular 
>> grid over the whole raster ? etc. etc. So, I'd prefer hearing from 
>> other GDAL developers or users that this patch is a sensical addition 
>> before commiting it.
>>
>> Even
>>
>> Le Thursday 12 February 2009 11:47:00, vous avez écrit :
>>> Hi Even,
>>>
>>> Thanks a lo. Just one small addition: the pixelsize has also to be
>>> adapted, else you get an image with false dimension. If it's not too
>>> much to add that, I'm going to try it out and will let you know the
>>> results. If it works, I have indeed a practical solution for my 
>>> problem.
>>>
>>> Even so, I am not convinced that this is an uncommon problem. 
>>> Consider a
>>> very basic GIS functionality: edge matching.  You have digitized a map
>>> from many sheets, and at the end the georeferenced images don't match
>>> precisely at the edges. Edge-matching functions (ArcGIS has lots of
>>> them) ensure that the edge of a feature on one map perfectly matches 
>>> the
>>> feature edge on the adjacent map. This is exactly the kind of thing you
>>> can do with gdalwarp using control points on a georeferenced image. It
>>> is also more or less the thing I want to do with my historical maps.
>>> Would this be an argument to preserve the boundaries of a georeferenced
>>> image, when adding control points?
>>>
>>> Jan
>>>
>>> Even Rouault wrote:
>>>> Jan,
>>>>
>>>> I concur with Jukka's analysis. Your need is rather uncommon, and I 
>>>> also
>>>> thinks it shouldn't be a default behaviour. However, adding that
>>>> capability to gdal_translate is quite easy. I've attached a patch for
>>>> gdal_translate.cpp that adds the capability of adding the 4 corners 
>>>> as 4
>>>> additional GCPs with the "-add_corners_as_gcps" option. You might 
>>>> give it
>>>> at try (it applies cleanly on GDAL 1.6.0 and trunk). I'm not sure 
>>>> yet if
>>>> it is valuable enough to include it in baseline gdal_translate.cpp.
>>>>
>>>> Best regards
>>>>
>>>> Le Wednesday 11 February 2009 15:59:48 Jukka Rahkonen, vous avez 
>>>> écrit :
>>>>> Jan Hartmann <j.l.h.hartmann <at> uva.nl> writes:
>>>>>> Sorry to keep moaning about this, but I need an indication what's 
>>>>>> going
>>>>>> on here. Mind, I don't need an immediate solution: for the time 
>>>>>> being I
>>>>>> have a workaround. Just an idea whether this a real problem, a dumb
>>>>>> question, something that can be handled in the foreseeable future 
>>>>>> (or
>>>>>> not), perhaps with adequate funding. Everything is better than 
>>>>>> talking
>>>>>> to a blind wall.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Sorry again Frank,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Jan
>>>>> Hi,
>>>>>
>>>>> I think that your need to keep the original extents but add more 
>>>>> ground
>>>>> control points inside the image frame is rather uncommon. Doesn't it
>>>>> mean that you trust that the image corners are correctly warped to 
>>>>> a new
>>>>> projection, but there are local distortions in the middle of image 
>>>>> which
>>>>> should be corrected with a few extra ground control points? For my 
>>>>> mind
>>>>> it shoudn't be the default behaviour of gdal but it might be 
>>>>> usable as
>>>>> an user selectable option sometimes.
>>>>>
>>>>> I know that missing gcp's at the image corners often leads to very 
>>>>> odd
>>>>> result with polynomial warping because the formula shoots over.  Even
>>>>> unaccurately placed gcp's could help a lot in preserving the original
>>>>> shape of the map. I guess that you are perhaps playing with scanned
>>>>> historical maps?  I have a few old scanned parcel maps which are
>>>>> covering just the area of the farm, and two of the map corners are 
>>>>> just
>>>>> white background. It is impossible to measure any real ground control
>>>>> points from the corners because there is nothing on the map to 
>>>>> compare
>>>>> with, and warping with all gcp's on the middle area makes really 
>>>>> funny
>>>>> looking curves into the hand drawn rectangle framing the original 
>>>>> map.
>>>>>
>>>>> -Jukka-
>>>>>
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>>
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