Orthoimagery and elevation data derived from UAS imagery for Palmyra Atoll, USA 2016 (ver. 1.1, November 2020)

Point clouds, high resolution digital surface models (DSM), and high resolution orthoimagery of Palmyra Atoll, USA, were generated from aerial 3-color and 5-band imagery collected October 2016 using Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UAS, or "drones"). Data were processed in sections corresponsing to flight areas using photogrammetry to generate three-dimensional point clouds (.las) by identifying pixels from multiple images representing the same object and calculating the x, y, and z coordinates of that object/pixel. Point clouds for each section were processed to create DSMs (.tif) representing the continuous surface of the uppermost reflective surface (i.e., data have not been filtered for vegetation classes or height). Finally, source images were stitched together based on shared pixels and orthogonally adjusted to the DSMs to create high resolution orthoimages (.tif) for the study area. Data provided here include the DSMs, orthoimagery, and point clouds generated from UAS imagery, as well as Ground Control Points (GCPs) and georeferencing links used to horizontally adjust DSMs and orthoimagery after photogrammetric processing (point cloud data are not spatially adjusted). Separate metadata including geographic descriptors are provided on the ScienceBase page for each child item.