Abstract
The evolution of photogrammetry has been significantly influenced by advancements in camera technology, particularly the emergence of spherical cameras. These devices offer extensive photographic coverage and are increasingly utilised in many photogrammetry applications due to their significant user-friendly configuration, especially in their low-cost versions. Despite their advantages, these cameras are subject to high image distortion. This necessitates specialised calibration solutions related to fisheye images, which represent the primary geometry of the raw files. This paper evaluates fisheye calibration processes for the effective utilisation of low-cost spherical cameras, for the purpose of 3D reconstruction and the verification of geometric stability. Calibration optical parameters include focal length, pixel positions, and distortion coefficients. Emphasis was placed on the evaluation of solutions for camera calibration, calibration network design, and the assessment of software or toolboxes that support the correspondent geometry and calibration for processing. The efficiency in accuracy, correctness, computational time, and stability parameters was assessed with the influence of calibration parameters based on the accuracy of the 3D reconstruction. The assessment was conducted using a previous case study of graffiti on an underpass in Wiesbaden, Germany. The robust calibration solution is a two-step calibration process, including a pre-calibration stage and the consideration of the best possible network design. Fisheye undistortion was performed using OpenCV, and finally, calibration parameters were optimized with self-calibration through bundle adjustment to achieve both calibration parameters and 3D reconstruction using Agisoft Metashape software. In comparison to 3D calibration, self-calibration, and a pre-calibration strategy, the two-step calibration process has demonstrated an average improvement of 2826 points in the 3D sparse point cloud and a 0.22 m decrease in the re-projection error value derived from the front lens images of two individual spherical cameras. The accuracy and correctness of the 3D point cloud and the statistical analysis of parameters in the two-step calibration solution are presented as a result of the quality assessment of this paper and in comparison with the 3D point cloud produced by a laser scanner.