2007 NAIP Post-Mortem MeetingNovember 27, 2007 8:00am - 4:30pm
Introductions and Background Presenter: Geoffrey Gabbott
A brief overview of historical NAIP acquisition and costs and future estimates was provided. For 2008 APFO estimates a 6% increase per DOQQ with funding anticipated at $24 Million from FSA and $7 Million from state and federal partners.
2007 Contract Review Presenter: John Mootz
An overview of the 2007 contract vehicle, procurement process, acquisition and inspection status were provided. The 2007 contract changes and pilot programs were also briefed.
The following changes were implemented in the 2007 contract to help administer the NAIP contract:
- Contractor required documentation for season and delivery extensions.
- Strict adherence to the SBA requirements and reporting of subcontracting plans for large businesses
- Improve progress report submission and tracking
- Improve data management of task orders (subcontractors and cameras utilized for individual states)
Also it's estimated that by 2010 75% of NAIP acquisition will be completed with digital sensors, due to digital technology and the increasing need of associated products.
2007 Pilot Projects Presenter: Zach Adkins
A. 4-band imagery DOQQ delivery
Digital camera sensor collects data in 4-bands R, G, B and NIR. The NAIP requirement for Arizona was the delivery of 4-band DOQQ imagery.
B. Absolute control pilot
This project requires the horizontal accuracy measurements be taken from ground point locations, not existing imagery and Arizona was the second project area under this pilot. The NAIP requirement is 95% of point tested must be within 6-Meters offset of point locations.
An overview of the horizontal deviation inspection process and results as performed in ArcGIS 9.1 was provided, along with the sources for point locations.
The number and distribution of ground point locations required is dependent upon the size of the project area and the contractor's approach for the acquisition component, for the APFO inspection additional (unpublished) points are required.
Many contractors expressed concern over the erroneous digital elevation model (DEM) data, such as NED database, that may have errors causing incorrect results, and questioned whether FSA was taking a proactive approach to correct this issue.
C. Seam line Shapefile
This project would be a requirement for digital acquisitions only and was conceived in an effort to accurately report the acquisition date of imagery on a compressed county mosaic (CCM) critical for image interpretation and legal issues. The NAIP contract for Arizona required all imagery polygons to be larger than 10 acres, with no overlap or gaps between polygons and attribute table complete.
The inspection results for this project: 767 incidents of polygon overlap and 2920 topology errors.
Quality Assurance Support and Review Presenter: Kerry Jones
Based upon recommendation proposed by ITT to improve image quality APFO has initiated new contract requirements to provide a better quality product, such as histogram parameters and color samples prior to production. Other recommendations from ITT were to optimize image viewing environments, ie: standard lighting, calibrating monitors, and neutral (white/beige) surroundings.
An overview of the inspection process was provided: There are three phases to the APFO quality inspection. The first is a visual inspection of the overall quality of a CCM. The imagery is checked for contrast, color balance, and clipping. Phase two is a view of the individual pixels on a CCM utilizing Photoshop 7.0. The histogram is viewed for data loss (images shifted or compressed reveals problem imagery). APFO is looking to automate this process in the future. Phase three is a random sampling of 10% of the project DOQQs. The DOQQ inspection involves recording cloud measurements, image defects, and histogram range.
Results for IN, IL & MO were presented. Overall the images were either too dark or too light.
Vendor Presentations
Surdex Corporation - Presentation - PDF Presenter: Craig Molander, John Boeding
- Surdex has plans to increase their digital acquisition capacity. Their total capacity is approximately 55,000 + DOQQs
- New mandatory inspections and maintenance required for the Cessna (Conquest series) aircraft, on average inspections/maintenance is required every 3-4 weeks during an acquisition period, with down time estimated at 2-4 days each time.
- 4-band and seamline (not an automated process) requirements were estimated an approximate 5-10% more than the 6% cost estimate provided by APFO.
- Also mentioned, the digital elevation models with errors, is the cause for most of the horizontal accuracy errors in imagery, not control points.
- 4-band imagery must be radiometrically balanced to either a color or an infrared product, not both since there are differences in the spectral responses.
Aerial Services, Inc. (ASI) - Presentation - PDFPresenter: Kirk Fisher, Coral Schneberger
- All 2007 NAIP acquisition was with film cameras.
- Difficulties encountered with 2007 Maine project included lack of adequate control imagery and damage to aircraft from airport tug.
- ASI partnered with Photo Science for a secondary contract for the acquisition of Maine with tighter specs and extended boundary coverage. NAIP was scanned/processed from the original film with the duplicate film delivered to FSA.
- Additional training for their personnel was required for the scanning processes, due to the new histogram parameters.
North West Geomatics - Presentation - PDFPresenter: John Welter
- The Arizona pilot projects included 4-band and seamline requirements: discussed problems and resolutions. Also provided absolute control.
- North West also discussed their sales of derivative products.
- 4-band and seamline requirements are estimated an approximate 15% over the 2007 price, not considering potential offsets.
- Discussed the ADS40 pan-sharpening process capability
- North West proposed suggestions, include JPEG2000 products for the CCM delivery, awarding a state(s) for multiple years, and extending the flying season.
- Approximate capacity 80,000 DOQQs.
Photo Science, Inc. (PSI) - Presentation - PDFPresenter: Forrest Godby
- Acquired imagery with DMC camera.
- Partners with Aero Metric and Aerial Surveys Intl. for this acquisition.
- Significant problems with post processing ortho production software and DMC camera malfunctions.
- Difficulties with undocumented MOAs: extending waivers and competing for weather. Also MOA contacts, routes, and areas change without notice.
- Company capacities not addressed ? data forthcoming to the CO.
- 4-band and seamline (not an automated process) requirements were estimated to be the same as those provided by APFO, with a 6% increase for 1-meter color products.
- Sale of derivative products to MS, MD, and WV Government.
Sanborn Mapping Co., Inc. - Presentation - PDFPresenter: Luiz Cortez
- Late start in Georgia due to weather conditions, with delayed acquisition due to continued bad weather and camera malfunctions.
- Project progress tracked through Google earth utility.
- Improvements made: Automation of DOQQ naming, developed QC procedures to identify radiometric problems, and radiometric balance completed manually through PhotoShop.
- 4-band and seamline requirements estimate varies dependent upon point distribution.
Presenter: Peter Briere
- Completed state of Florida for 2007 NAIP.
- Late start due to fire/smoke issues and delays due to standard coastal weather.
- Committed 2 Learjets, 1 Cessna Conquest, and 3 ADS40 cameras to project
- All post processing completed in Peachtree City, GA facility.
2008 NAIP Contract Changes Presenter: John Mootz
FSA is interested in acquiring more 4-band imagery. However the acquisition costs and compression format are still issues to be resolved.
APFO will be reviewing histograms from 2007 imagery to assess the potential impact to changing radiometric specifications.
At present the schedule for the 2008 task order is as follows: RFP issue - Mid-February Contract Award (pending funding available) - Second week in April
2008 NAIP Program Plans Presenter: Kent Williams
FSA will be reviewing our imagery requirements and partnership model this week. The potential changes to NAIP may be to eliminate the acquisition of 2-meter coverage and acquire only 1-meter on a less than annual basis. 1-meter coverage is anticipated to be FSA core requirement only unless there is a cost-share partner.
Some of the issues APFO is presently addressing: absolute accuracy specifications, DEM errors identification and correction, data delivery formats, and the JPEG 2000 specifications.
Questions/Comments:
Has APFO considered changing the contract to have aviation fuel as a cost line item? Yes, however it is not fiscally possible due to the single year funding of NAIP.
Has APFO considered changing the project area definitions to better reflect the geographic coverage requirement versus by political boundaries? APFO is aware of the issue, but have not found a solution to date. Political boundaries provide an essential management and organization tool.
What are the imagery requirements for USDA-FS, NRCS, and USGS (traditional NAIP partners)? The USDA-FS requirement is met by the NAIP 1-meter resolution natural color product. However there is interest in Color Infrared, 1-foot resolution, and stereo coverage imagery, and potential interest in the raw 16-bit data a digital camera could provide. The preferred acquisition cycle for USDA-FS would be 6-year alternating between leaf-on/leaf-off acquisitions. The NRCS requirement is cloud free, 4-band 1-meter resolution imagery, with an acquisition period earlier than NAIP. There is additional interest in higher than 1-meter resolution imagery. The USGS requirement is met with the NAIP 1-meter resolution natural color product on a 5-year acquisition cycle. There is additional interest in higher than 1-meter resolution imagery.
The FSA State GIS specialists felt that image quality was a priority over the timeliness of acquisition.
Our emphasis should be to satisfy state partners.
There were discussions over the differences between resource and mapping requirements and if/how NAIP could fulfill both requirements to attain more partnerships and interest.
There is interest in acquiring leaf-off imagery for large non-ag areas or in coastal areas were weather prohibits acquisition.
Can histogram inspection be completed on the CCM? No, since the CCM borders (black bands) would change the results.
Is APFO aware that varying types or solid terrain (ie: desert, snowcaps) on an image will impact the histogram and of the extra work required for these areas? In response, an option to minimize the impact of such imagery would be for APFO/FSA to identify areas were histograms will not meet specs. (There is the potential risk of sacrificing data for color correction.)
Has anyone discussed the problems APFO is experiencing with Lizard Tech (MrSID) or Adobe (Photoshop) representatives? There has been some conversation with Lizard Tech, but with no results.
How big is the risk, to require all NAIP imagery be acquired with a digital camera? What's the lead time required? A lot of the contractors are already going to 4-band digital acquisition.
Has anyone considered inventorying undocumented Military Operational Area (MOA)? With undocumented MOA(s) constantly changing, it would be impossible to inventory.
For the 2007 NAIP the 1:40,000 N-S flightlines (NAPP exposure stations) were no longer required, as a result APFO had difficulties with determining film coverage selection since there were no indexes. APFO has since resolved this issue by creating indexes.
In response to North West Geomatics suggestion of awarding states for multiple years to minimize costs, APFO realizes the costs benefits to the contractors but is concerned over the potential loss of competition.
APFO explained the evaluation criteria for establishing task order awards for the project areas (states) and how 2007 was different due to the limited number of states to be acquired. Location of states to contractors was a factor in this year's awards.
There were questions regarding the impact or influence a Technical Evaluation Panel member, or an FSA State representative may have over the contractor awarded their project area. Often times members may have a preference to a vendor proposing a digital acquisition, and the concern was for them influencing the technical evaluation panel. It was explained that the members of the panel, as well as FSA specialists, represent their agency's interests, not just their own.
To clarify, presently FSA's 1-meter 5-year cycle requirement is for full state coverage only for states within cycle and that have a partner, and CLU coverage only for all states out of cycle.
ACTION ITEMS:
Establish CLU update policy with regards to imagery provided (ie: absolute/relative control, 1- or 2-meter). Assigned: Kent Williams/APFO
Improve/correct the NAIP seamline shapefile requirements. Assigned: Kent Williams/APFO
NAIP contractors will submit their methods to develop/create/improve seamline shapefile requirements for the ADS40 and frame based (DMC/Vexcel) digital cameras they utilize to John Mootz. Assigned: NAIP Contractors
APFO contracting procedures will include providing a summary and confirmation of the final negotiated requirements, equipment, aircraft, subcontractors, and other pertinent information, and any subsequent changes, regarding the task order award. Assigned: Geoff Gabbott
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