What Is Ground-Truth
Ground truth is information known to be genuine or accurate, obtained through direct observation and measurement (empirical evidence) instead of information derived through inference — it’s a kind of reality check. The term “ground truthing” denotes the process of acquiring reliable and verifiable objective data. It involves evaluating the accuracy of remote sensing data by comparing it with physical measurements taken at the ground level.
At the initial stages of the data collection process, researchers are required to visit the actual location and establish the “ground truth” by conducting physical measurements at ground level. The primary advantages of ground-truthing include establishing trustworthiness and confidence in the collected data.
Three popular use cases that use ground-truthing are remote sensing, satellite images, and geographic information systems.
Ground Truth and Remote Sensing
In the field of remote sensing, the term “ground truth” pertains to data gathered directly from the location depicted in the images. Ground truth is crucial for connecting image data and actual features and substances on the ground. Instances of applications encompass cartography, meteorology, the examination of aerial photographs, satellite imagery, and other techniques involving the remote collection of data. Remote sensing data is typically gathered using a mix of images from satellites and drones.
Ground Truth and Satellite Images
Typically conducted on-site, ground truth involves aligning known information with surface observations and measurements of various properties related to the features within the ground resolution cells analyzed in the digitally captured remote sensing image. This procedure also involves acquiring geographic coordinates for the ground resolution cell through GPS technology and then contrasting them with the coordinates of the “pixel” being scrutinized, as supplied by the remote sensing software.
Ground Truth and GIS
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) models are derived from the real world, also known as geographical reality, often through a cartographic process. In GIS systems (such as GIS, GPS, and GNSS), the ground truth is the actual location on Earth represented by the location coordinates.
Fundamentally, ground truth serves as a reference point, enabling scientists and engineers to evaluate the performance and efficiency of their models in achieving specific tasks, such as image analysis, object identification, or text categorization.
Blockchain Data: A Single Source of Truth
The blockchain is an open and distributed ledger. It uses an append-only data structure, meaning new transactions and data can be added to a blockchain, but past data cannot be erased. This results in a verifiable and permanent record of data. Blockchains are immutable and highly secure; therefore, data stored on blockchain ledgers is considered the single source of truth.
Ground Truth & Blockchain Technology
Verified and immutable Ground Truth data stored on blockchain databases could be essential building blocks for Geographic Information Systems and Urban Planning. Using blockchain technology to host a single source of truth regarding ground truth could prove to be a powerful strategy. This will enable large collaborative projects involving several individuals and organizations to work on a verified and tamper-proof layer of ground truth data. While the benefits are notable, it’s essential to consider the specific use case, regulatory aspects, and the overall suitability of blockchain technology for storing ground truth data in each context.
Immutable ground truth information provides a verified, reliable, and accurate set of data, which can be used as a reference for the training, validation, and fine-tuning of different AI and machine-learning models. It can also be used as a base layer for several future urban planning, city management, and precision agriculture applications.
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