Abstract:The traditional way of solving non-linear least squares (LS) problems in Geodesy includes a linearization of the functional model and iterative solution of a nonlinear equation system. Direct solutions for a class of nonlinear adjustment problems have been presented by the mathematical community since the 1980s, based on total least squares (TLS) algorithms and involving the use of singular value decomposition (SVD). However, direct LS solutions for this class of problems have been developed in the past also by geodesists. In this contribution we attempt to establish a systematic approach for direct solutions of non-linear LS problems from a "geodetic" point of view. Therefore, four non-linear adjustment problems are investigated: the fit of a straight line to given points in 2D and in 3D, the fit of a plane in 3D and the 2D symmetric similarity transformation of coordinates. For all these problems a direct LS solution is derived using the same methodology by transforming the problem to the solution of a quadratic or cubic algebraic equation. Furthermore, by applying TLS all these four problems can be transformed to solving the respective characteristic eigenvalue equations. It is demonstrated that the algebraic equations obtained in this way are identical with those resulting from the LS approach. As a by-product of this research two novel approaches are presented for the TLS solutions of fitting a straight line to 3D and the 2D similarity transformation of coordinates. The derived direct solutions of the four considered problems are illustrated on examples from the literature and also numerically compared to published iterative solutions.
Suppose a large and dense point cloud of an object with complex geometry is available that can be approximated by a smooth univariate function. In general, for such point clouds the “best” approximation using the method of least squares is usually hard or sometimes even impossible to compute. In most cases, however, a “near-best” approximation is just as good as the “best”, but usually much easier and faster to calculate. Therefore, a fast approach for the approximation of point clouds using Chebyshev polynomials is described, which is based on an interpolation in the Chebyshev points of the second kind. This allows to calculate the unknown coefficients of the polynomial by means of the Fast Fourier transform (FFT), which can be extremely efficient, especially for high-order polynomials. Thus, the focus of the presented approach is not on sparse point clouds or point clouds which can be approximated by functions with few parameters, but rather on large dense point clouds for whose approximation perhaps even millions of unknown coefficients have to be determined.
In this contribution the fitting of a straight line to 3D point data is considered, with Cartesian coordinates xi, yi, zi as observations subject to random errors. A direct solution for the case of equally weighted and uncorrelated coordinate components was already presented almost forty years ago. For more general weighting cases, iterative algorithms, e.g., by means of an iteratively linearized Gauss–Helmert (GH) model, have been proposed in the literature. In this investigation, a new direct solution for the case of pointwise weights is derived. In the terminology of total least squares (TLS), this solution is a direct weighted total least squares (WTLS) approach. For the most general weighting case, considering a full dispersion matrix of the observations that can even be singular to some extent, a new iterative solution based on the ordinary iteration method is developed. The latter is a new iterative WTLS algorithm, since no linearization of the problem by Taylor series is performed at any step. Using a numerical example it is demonstrated how the newly developed WTLS approaches can be applied for 3D straight line fitting considering different weighting cases. The solutions are compared with results from the literature and with those obtained from an iteratively linearized GH model.
Context. Precise astrometric measurements performed on meteor images are required to derive the dynamical parameters of a mete-oroid. As a consequence, the measurements carried out in this initial step will have a strong impact on the dynamical solution of an orbiting meteoroid. These measurements relate to the position of the meteor defined by the positions of pixels along its path, as well as by their uncertainties. Therefore, the use of all available information is of great importance for the subsequent processing steps. Aims. This paper examines a new geometrical approach for computing the trajectory of a meteor from multi-station observations. The model considers a more general weighting scheme based on existing stochastic information from the measurements, including the geometry between each station and the observed meteor. Methods. We present a novel mathematical model for least squares adjustment of the linear meteor trajectories within the Gauss-Helmert model, which allows the use of stochastic information from the measured direction vectors from multiple stations. Additionally, an extended stochastic model is presented that takes into account the geometric relationship between each station and the observed meteor as a weight component for each group of observations. Results. The solution of the new approach is demonstrated on a synthetic meteor example, with observations generated from multiple stations with differing precision. The geometric configuration of the stations has been chosen in such a way that it creates the necessity to include stochastic information for the observed direction vectors for a realistic solution. The results of the newly developed approach are compared with those from established methods in the literature. Future investigations and optimisations for developing an even more improved meteor trajectory model are being addressed.
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