Ground Sample Distance Calculator

Calculate Ground Sample Distance (GSD)







Formula

The formula to calculate the Ground Sample Distance (GSD) is:

\[ GSD = \frac{A \times SH}{FL \times IH} \]

Where:

What is GSD (Ground Sample Distance)?

GSD, short for ground sample distance, is a metric used with drone mapping and surveying to relate the focal length, resolution, and camera distance from the object. Knowing all but one of any of the variables present in the formula above means a person can solve for the missing variable. The units for GSD are distance per pixel, i.e. cm/pixel.

Example

Let's say the altitude (A) is 100 meters, the sensor width/height (SH) is 36 mm, the focal length (FL) is 50 mm, and the image width/length (IH) is 4000 pixels. Using the formula:

\[ GSD = \frac{100 \times 36}{50 \times 4000} \approx 0.018 \]

So, the ground sample distance (GSD) is approximately 0.018 cm/pixel.

Extended information about "Ground-Sample-Distance-Calculator"

Ground Sampling Distance Formula

Definition: Calculates the ground sampling distance (GSD) based on sensor parameters and flight altitude.

Formula: \( GSD = \frac{S \times H}{F} \)

Example: \( GSD = \frac{0.005 \times 100}{50} \)

How to Calculate Ground Distance

Definition: Calculates the ground distance between two points based on their coordinates.

Formula: \( D = \sqrt{(x_2 - x_1)^2 + (y_2 - y_1)^2} \)

Example: \( D = \sqrt{(10 - 4)^2 + (8 - 2)^2} \)

Average Ground Sampling Distance

Definition: Calculates the average ground sampling distance over a given area.

Formula: \( \text{Average GSD} = \frac{\sum GSD_i}{n} \)

Example: \( \text{Average GSD} = \frac{0.1 + 0.2 + 0.15}{3} \)

Map Distance to Ground Distance

Definition: Converts map distance to actual ground distance.

Formula: \( \text{Ground Distance} = \text{Map Distance} \times \text{Scale Factor} \)

Example: \( \text{Ground Distance} = 5 \times 1000 \)