The American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing is revising the ASPRS Positional Accuracy Standards for Digital Geospatial Data for publication as a 2nd Edition and we are seeking public opinion on the proposed changes. Revising the standard is an important and necessary process, as technologies and practices are evolving. The updating of these standards will impact geospatial capabilities and all who benefit from these services worldwide for years to come, so please participate in this historical event by reviewing the draft and providing feedback.

The most significant changes introduced in this 2nd Edition of the ASPRS Positional Accuracy Standards for Digital Geospatial Data include:

1. Elimination of references to the 95% confidence level as an accuracy measure.
2. Relaxation of the accuracy requirement for ground control and checkpoints.
3. Consideration of survey checkpoint accuracy when computing final product accuracy.
4. Removal of the pass/fail requirement for Vegetated Vertical Accuracy (VVA) for lidar data.
5. Increase the minimum number of checkpoints required for product accuracy assessment from twenty (20) to thirty (30).
6. Introduction of a new term, “three-dimensional positional accuracy."
7. Addition of Guidelines and Best Practices Addendums for:
   1. General Guidelines and Best Practices
   2. Field Surveying of Ground Control and Checkpoints
   3. Mapping with Photogrammetry
   4. Mapping with Lidar
   5. Mapping with UAS

The drafts available for review now are:

ASPRS Positional Accuracy Standard, 2nd Edition - Main Body and Annexes

ASPRS Positional Accuracy Standard, 2nd Edition - Addendum I: General Guidelines and Best Practices

ASPRS Positional Accuracy Standard, 2nd Edition - Addendum II: Field Survey Guidelines and Best Practices

The deadline for comment submission is Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at 11:59 PM Eastern.

Click to Provide Comments

ASPRS Positional Accuracy Standards Working Group
Dr. Qassim Abdullah, Chair