ASPRS Approves Edition 2, Version 2 of the ASPRS Positional Accuracy Standards for Digital Geospatial Data (2024)
Baton Rouge, LA June 28, 2024: The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) is pleased to announce adoption of the Positional Accuracy Standards for Geospatial Data, Edition 2, Version 2 (2024), which includes important modifications and additions to Edition 2, Version 1 published in August 2023.
Edition 2, Version 2 introduces four new addenda for:
- Mapping with Lidar.
- Mapping with Photogrammetry.
- Mapping with Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).
- Mapping with Oblique Imagery.
Together with the two addenda that were published in Edition 2, Version 1.0, the Standards offer the mapping community with six addenda detailing guidelines and best practices to help the practitioners perform mapping and create geospatial products that comply with the adopted Standards.
Edition 2, Version 2 was adopted after a formal public review period ending April 26, 2024. Public comments were incorporated into the final version adopted by the ASPRS Board of Directors on June 24, 2024.
“The publication of this new edition of the accuracy standards came in response to evolving technologies and industry needs. It will have a positive and lasting impact on geospatial capabilities and all who benefit from these services, here in the United States of America and worldwide. It is a history-making accomplishment that we should all be proud of” said Dr. Qassim Abdullah, Vice President and Chief Scientist of Woolpert, who led the ASPRS Positional Accuracy Standards Working Group. “We are fortunate to have among our members such talented and willing volunteers who worked hard during the last two years to update these important Standards. This latest version represents a collaborative effort by 40 subject matter experts representing public, private, and academic sectors.” said Bandana Kar, ASPRS President.
The most significant changes introduced in Edition 2 of the ASPRS Positional Accuracy Standards for Digital Geospatial Data include:
- Elimination of references to the 95% confidence level as an accuracy measure.
- Relaxation of the accuracy requirement for ground control and checkpoints.
- Consideration of survey checkpoint accuracy when computing final product accuracy.
- Removal of the pass/fail requirement for Vegetated Vertical Accuracy (VVA) for lidar data.
- Increase the minimum number of checkpoints required for product accuracy assessment from twenty (20) to thirty (30).
- Limiting the maximum number of checkpoints for accuracy assessment to 120 for large projects.
- Introduction of a new term, “three-dimensional positional accuracy.”
- Addition of Guidelines and Best Practices Addenda for:
- General Guidelines and Best Practices
- Field Surveying of Ground Control and Checkpoints
- Mapping with Photogrammetry
- Mapping with Lidar
- Mapping with UAS
- Mapping with Oblique Imagery
A more detailed explanation of the Edition 2 changes can be found in the Foreword. To download the complete Standards, visit https://publicdocuments.asprs.org/PositionalAccuracyStd-Ed2-V2
The Standards are available in hardcopy format and can be purchased from the ASPRS Bookstore, www.asprs.org.
ASPRS Approves Edition 2 of the ASPRS Positional Accuracy Standards for Digital Geospatial Data
The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) is pleased to announce approval of the Positional Accuracy Standards for Geospatial Data, Edition 2, Version 1.0, which includes Addendum I: General Best Practices and Guidelines and Addendum II: Best Practices and Guidelines for Field Surveying of Ground Control and Checkpoints. Modifications implemented in Edition 2 respond to evolving technologies and industry needs. The new edition was drafted by ASPRS subject matter experts representing public, private, and academic sectors. Public review was conducted from February 8 – April 30, 2023. Comments were incorporated into the final version adopted on August 23, 2023.
https://publicdocuments.asprs.org/PositionalAccuracyStd-Ed2-V1
“The new edition of these standards will have a positive impact on our geospatial capabilities and all who benefit from these services here in the United States of America and worldwide for years to come, it is a historical moment that we should all be proud of” said Dr. Qassim Abdullah of Woolpert who led the ASPRS Positional Accuracy Standards Working Group. “We are fortunate to have among our members such talented and willing volunteers who worked hard during the last two years to update this important Standard” said Lorraine Amenda, ASPRS President.
Significant changes in Edition 2 are summarized in the Foreword. Please note that there are three additional Addendums listed in the Table of Contents:
- Addendum III: Best Practices and Guidelines for Mapping with Photogrammetry
- Addendum IV: Best Practices and Guidelines for Mapping with Lidar
- Addendum V: Best Practices and Guidelines for Mapping with UAS
These three Addendums will be distributed for public comment in the coming weeks and will be added to Edition 2, Version 2.0, which ASPRS anticipates approving in late Fall 2023.
New ASPRS Positional Accuracy Standards for Digital Geospatial Data Released
BETHESDA, Md., March 2, 2015 – The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) is pleased to announce the release of the new Positional Accuracy Standards for Digital Geospatial Data. The new standards are available at: http://www.asprs.org/a/society/committees/standards/Positional_Accuracy_Standards.pdf. The new ASPRS accuracy standards fill a critical need for map users and map makers alike. For centuries, map scale and contour interval have been used as an indication of map accuracy. Users want to know how accurately they can measure different things on a map, and map makers want to know how accurate maps need to be in order to satisfy user requirements. Those contracting for new maps depend on some form of map accuracy standard to evaluate the tradeoff between the accuracy required vs. how much time and expense are justified in achieving it, and then to describe the accuracy of the result in a uniform way that is reliable, defensible, and repeatable. The new ASPRS standards address recent innovations in digital imaging and non-imaging sensors, airborne GPS, inertial measurement units (IMU) and aerial triangulation (AT) technologies. Unlike prior standards, the new standards are independent of scale and contour interval, they address higher levels of accuracies achievable by the latest technologies (e.g. unmanned aerial systems and LIDAR mobile mapping systems), and they provide enough flexibility to be applicable to future technologies as they are developed. Finally, the new standards provide cross references to older standards, as well as detailed guidance for a wide range of potential applications. No prior U.S. accuracy standard comprehensively addresses the current state of mapping technology, which is why the new ASPRS standards were developed. The National Map Accuracy Standards (NMAS), developed in 1947, are still used because they are simple, but there is no scientific correlation between those standards and current mapping methodologies. The ASPRS 1990 Standards were an improvement over NMAS; however, they did not do well in representing the capabilities of LIDAR, orthoimagery, digital mapping cameras or other current technologies in wide-spread use today. The National Standard for Spatial Data Accuracy (NSSDA) is a reporting standard that references the old ASPRS 1990 standards and is cross-referenced in the new ASPRS standards. NSSDA provides no accuracy thresholds and does not by itself provide any new or updated guidance on how to select or specify an appropriate accuracy for intended applications. The new ASPRS standards were developed by the ASPRS Map Accuracy Standards Working Group, a joint committee under the Photogrammetric Applications Division, Primary Data Acquisition Division and LIDAR Division, which was formed for the purpose of reviewing and updating ASPRS map accuracy standards to reflect current technologies. A subcommittee of this group, consisting of Dr. Qassim Abdullah, Dr. David Maune, Doug Smith, and Hans Karl Heidemann, was responsible for drafting the document. Draft versions of the standard underwent extensive review, both within ASPRS as well as through public review by other key geospatial mapping organizations, prior to final approval by the ASPRS Board of Directors on November 17, 2014.
