LPS 9.3 Preview: Control Point Review Tool

Last month I highlighted the ability to export LPS Block Files to KML. I'll do a full round-up of the new functionality as soon as we release, but for today I will focus on another new feature: Ground Control Point Review in the LPS Terrain Editor module.

The background for this feature came from many requests we received for the ability to review points either by themselves in stereo or as a means of checking terrain accuracy. Thus, we added a new panel in the Terrain Editor "View" drop-down menu: View > Panels > Ground Control Points.

In the screen capture below, I have launched the Terrain Editor and have opened the GCP Review Tool. I haven't loaded any imagery. The GCP Review Tool automatically loads in all points (ground control points and tie points) from the Block File that the Terrain Editor was launched from. You can see from the column settings that it provides some basic information such as ID, point type, coordinates, the number of images the point intersects, and the description.

In the Terrain Editor, the usual method for loading stereo pairs is to drag and drop them from the image pair list (on the left above) into the stereo viewport. One of the nice features of the GCP Review Tool is that you can automatically load images by double clicking on a particular point (double-click anywhere on the row). This is beneficial because it removes the need to know exactly which stereo pair to pick when you would like to review a particular point. In the screen capture below, I loaded a stereo pair associated with Point ID 30 by double-clicking on it. You can see that this is a full GCP, and it is even possible to see the target in the imagery.

Point symbol and label graphics can be turned on or off by using the icons on the bottom left of the panel. Additionally, the "Settings" button can be used to modify the behaviour of the tool. For example, it is possible to filter the points (e.g. only display full ground control points). It is also possible to customize the graphics (size, color, and label font).