Abstract: A method for extracting a linear feature from remotely sensed imagery, including selecting by user interface anchor points for the linear feature, the anchor points being identified with a geographic location; using image-based logic to automatically calculate a vector set associated with the anchor points, the vector set comprising a path associated with the linear feature; automatically attributing a material type to the path; automatically attributing a geometry to the path; selecting by user interface anchor points for a successive linear feature; using image-based logic to calculate a successive vector set associated with the anchor points for the successive linear feature, the successive vector set comprising a successive path; using a geometric relationship between the vector set and the successive vector set to automatically adjust the vector set to create an adjusted vector set, the adjusted vector set correcting the path associated with the first linear feature.

Abstract: Method for warping first and second overlapping images includes selecting a first set of points in a first image, the first set of points being located in an overlap region between first and second images; selecting a set of tie points in the second image, including individual tie points each of which correlates to a point in the first set of points; selecting from the first image a patch including at least one point from the first set of points and at least one neighboring point; performing shadow detection to determine a percentage of the patch exceeding a predetermined percentage, thereby indicating a shadow; if so, eliminating the at least one point so that it is not correlated with any of the individual tie points, thereby avoiding correlating the shadow in the first image to a shadow in the second image.

Abstract: One aspect of the invention is embodied in a number of machine-readable media having stored thereon sequences of instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a number of actions. The actions include, for each of a plurality of image space coordinates of a camera image, retrieving 1) a corresponding camera position, and 2) corresponding object space coordinates on an object surface that is represented by the camera image. Then, for each of a plurality of height surfaces (chosen with respect to the object surface), a grid coordinate defined by an intersection between the height surface, and a line extending between the camera position and the object space coordinates, is determined. The determined grid coordinates are then associated with their corresponding image space coordinates. Finally, coefficients for a rational polynomial camera model are estimated by fitting rational polynomials to at least the grid coordinates and image space coordinates.

Abstract: Method for tonally balancing a image mosaic includes supplying the image mosaic which has multiple overlap regions; identifying in the overlap regions a set of corresponding points that correspond to a single location and are indicative of a tonal variation; establishing a tonal variation threshold; eliminating from the overlap regions a subset of corresponding points, the subset having tonal variation deviating from the tonal variation threshold; repeating the eliminating until substantially all subsets have been eliminated, producing adjusted overlap regions that include a set of remaining corresponding points; obtaining gains and biases for each spectral band in the adjusted overlap regions; applying the gains and biases to transform intensities of the set of remaining corresponding points, producing transformed corresponding points; and producing a tonally balanced image mosaic using the transformed corresponding points.

Abstract: Methods and machine-readable mediums are disclosed for warping overlapping images. In one embodiment, the method comprises selecting a first set of points in a first image that are located in an overlap region of the first image and the second image, determining a set of tie points in the second image, each tie point correlating to a point in the first set, determining a second set of points, each point in the second set located at a position in the overlap region between a point in the first set and a tie point correlated to the point in the first set, and warping the first image and the second image by applying an algorithm using the second set of points, the algorithm to reposition at least a portion of the points in the first image and at least a portion of the points in the second image.

Abstract: Methods are disclosed for tonally balancing multiple images. In one embodiment, the method comprises using a subset of corresponding points in each of a plurality of image overlap regions to solve a set of minimization equations for gains and biases for each spectral band of each image, the corresponding points being points from different images having locations that correspond to each other, the subset of corresponding points consisting of corresponding points whose intensities differ less than a threshold, applying the gains and biases to the images, and iterating said using and applying actions for a predetermined number of iterations.