Photography & Imaging

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Ground Sample Distance

Real-world size of one pixel in aerial/drone imagery.

Formula

GSD = \frac{H \cdot p}{f}

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Variables

GSDGround sample distance (cm/px)

HFlight height (cm)

pPixel size (cm)

fFocal length (cm)

Example

H=12000 cm, p=0.00015 cm, f=3.5 cm: GSD ≈ 0.51 cm/px

Did You Know?

Drone surveyors plan flight height around a target GSD — lower flights give sharper maps but cover less ground.

photography drone gsd mapping

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Depth of Field (approx.)

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Field of view from sensor size and focal length.