Panorama Task
A Panorama Task processes 360° panorama images so that they can be visualized in the VC Map.
| To be able to select a Panorama Task in the list of tasks, a valid license key is required. This must be entered by an administrator in the General Settings of the VC Publisher. Existing panorama data sources and layers can, however, also be added to VC Map without a license key. |
Step 1
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
Task Name |
Name of the task. |
Create or overwrite Datasource |
Select whether to create a new datasource or overwrite an existing one |
Datasource Name |
If an existing data source is to be overwritten, select the source here. |
Step 2
In this step, the information required for converting the panorama images must be defined. The minimum required information includes the directory containing the panorama images and the associated CSV file. In this case, only the images are converted without considering depth information. In this case, usage is limited to the mere viewing of the panoramic images.
To be able to use the measurement and drawing functions in VC Map within the panorama images, the point clouds must also be included. For this purpose, the option “Calculate depth images” must be activated.
In addition, intensity images can optionally be calculated. However, these are not mandatory in order to use the measurement function.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
Directories containing RGB panorama images (comma-separated) |
Specifies the main directory containing the images. Files in subdirectories are automatically included. Multiple directories can be specified if the images are stored in different locations. Supported formats are JPEG and PNG. Specifying the directory is sufficient; filtering by file types is not required. |
Path to location and metadata file (file.csv) |
Specifies the CSV file containing the locations and metadata of the panorama images. |
EPSG Code (location data) |
Specifies the coordinate reference system of the location data in the CSV file as an EPSG code. |
Camera Offset Height |
Specifies the height difference between the camera mounted on the vehicle and the terrain model. The location heights contained in the CSV file include both the geodetic height and the height of the vehicle including the camera. To prevent the capture points from floating above the terrain model in VC Map, this parameter can be used to project the points onto the terrain model. A typical example value is 2.3. The parameter can either be omitted or adjusted within the data source after processing. |
It is possible to calculate depth images and intensity images. The option “Calculate depth images” is required if the measurement and drawing functions within the panorama data are to be used. In this case, depth information from the underlying point cloud is taken into account. The accepted point cloud formats are LAS and LAZ.
Activating the options “Calculate depth images” and “Calculate intensity images” results in longer processing times and larger data volumes due to the additional processing of point cloud data.
The option “Consider north deviation” applies a predefined offset to the point cloud. If this option is not activated, a deviation may occur between the RGB images and the depth information of the point cloud. This option is required for input data from Cyclomedia.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
Directory containing point clouds |
Specifies the main directory containing the point clouds. |
EPSG Code (point clouds) |
Specifies the coordinate reference system of the point clouds as an EPSG code. |
Column names in location and metadata file
Here, the column names must be specified so that the process can determine in which column of the location and metadata file the respective parameters are contained. If a field is left empty, the column names entered when the Panorama Task was first opened will be used by default. Even if the correction parameters for the angles have already been applied within the panorama images themselves, a column must still be specified whose value is 0 and therefore does not apply any additional correction. If the CSV file does not contain a corresponding column with the value 0, an additional column can simply be added in which the value “0” is entered for all rows. This column can then be used for all correction parameters (Pitch, Roll and Yaw).
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
X component |
Specifies the longitude of the image locations. |
Y component |
Specifies the latitude of the image locations. |
Z component |
Specifies the height of the image locations. Please note: the height values must be provided in the same height reference system as the point cloud. As a rule, these are normal heights (NHN) according to DHHN2016. |
pitch angle (Pitch) |
The correction parameter for the pitch angle can be specified here. In some cases, specifying a correction value is not required because the images have already been corrected accordingly. In this case, however, a column must still exist that contains the value "0". |
roll angle (Roll) |
The correction parameter for the roll angle can be specified here. In some cases, specifying a correction value is not required because the images have already been corrected accordingly. In this case, however, a column must still exist that contains the value "0". |
yaw angle (Yaw) |
The correction parameter for the yaw angle can be specified here. In some cases, specifying a correction value is not required because the images have already been corrected accordingly. In this case, however, a column must still exist that contains the value "0". |
panorama image |
Specifies the column name that contains the names of the oblique aerial images. |
timestamp |
The timestamp must be specified in gps-Seconds. |
Advanced settings
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
Resolution in [WIDTHxHEIGHT] |
Specifies the target resolution of the panorama images. |
Number of threads (Default: 4, optional) |
Number of threads used for the process and processing (Default: 4). |
Converter Memory |
Memory in megabytes (MB) that may be used by the Publisher for the panorama job. A higher memory allocation can reduce processing time. Ensure that sufficient memory remains available for other system processes. |
The option "Tile point cloud" generates temporary tiles that are used for depth image generation. This ensures that each image only needs to be rendered once. With this option, the entire conversion process becomes faster.
When calculating a test dataset with only a few images, this option should be disabled, because the tiling process of the point cloud causes the process to take longer than without tiling.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
Edge length [m] |
The default tile edge length is 400 meters, but this can be adjusted as needed. |
Memory for tiling [MB] |
The amount of memory used for the tiling process. |
Further information on the data specification is as follows:
Model orientation and Euler angles of the panoramic images
For the correct projection of point clouds into the panoramic images, the following mandatory specifications apply:
Reference systems
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Camera coordinate system (P)
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Y-axis points forward in the direction of travel
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The axes form a right-handed coordinate system
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Global UTM system (E)
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X-axis points east
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Y-axis points north
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Z-axis points upward
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The transformation describes the exact position and orientation of the panoramic camera in the global ENU system.
Position and orientation
Each panoramic camera is described by three coordinates in the ENU system and three Euler angles:
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Translation: tE = (Easting,Northing,Height)
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Rotation: (Roll, Pitch, Heading)
Euler angle convention
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The rotation matrix from panorama coordinates to world coordinates is formed in the order X → Y → Z:
RP→E = Rx(Pitch) * Ry(Roll) * Rz(-Heading)
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Sign convention of the angles:
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Pitch (X-axis): positive
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Roll (Y-axis): positive
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Heading / Yaw (Z-axis): negative
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Angles are specified in degrees
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This convention defines the extrinsic rotation of the panoramic camera from the local camera coordinate system into the global ENU system.
Height reference system and camera height above ground
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All height values of the point clouds and panoramic images must be provided in the same height reference system. An automatic transformation between different height reference systems is not performed during processing. The height values are used for correct positioning and accurate visualization of the panoramic images.
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Official geospatial data in Germany are generally provided in normal heights (NHN) according to DHHN2016. To ensure consistent use and correct spatial referencing, point clouds and panoramic images should be transformed into this height reference system using a geoid transformation prior to processing or calculation in the converter. Only in this way will the height values of the captured data match those of the official geospatial data when combined in a map application.