# 3D Positioning of Drones through Images

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new method for determining drone height and position using images alone, without relying on satellite signals.

## Contribution

A novel multi-scale input network and image-based height judgment method are proposed for drone positioning in environments without satellite signals.

## Key findings

- The proposed method achieved a positioning index of 76.3 points and 81.7% accuracy within 20 m.
- Height judgment using a single image resulted in a relative error rate of 18.1% for altitudes between 80–200 m.

## Abstract

Drones traditionally rely on satellite signals for positioning and altitude. However, when in a special denial environment, satellite communication is interrupted, and the traditional positioning and height determination methods face challenges. We made a dataset at the height of 80–200 m and proposed a multi-scale input network. The positioning index RDS achieved 76.3 points, and the positioning accuracy within 20 m was 81.7%. This paper proposes a method to judge the height by image alone, without the support of other sensor data. One height judgment can be made per single image. Based on the UAV image–satellite image matching positioning technology, by calculating the actual area represented by the UAV image in real space, combined with the fixed parameters of the optical camera, the actual height of the UAV flight is calculated, which is 80–200 m, and the relative error rate of height is 18.1%.