Setup Ground Control Points to enhance your project's accuracy

Overview

This article explains how to upload Ground Control Points (GCPs) into a Data Project in SDX-Cloud. GCPs improve georeferencing by anchoring your dataset to real-world coordinates — but only if configured correctly.

When processing drone-based datasets or other manual imports in SDX-Cloud, you can optionally add GCPs to improve spatial accuracy and ensure your output matches reality.

Prerequisites

Make sure you have the following ready:

• A Data Project in SDX-Cloud
• A GCP CSV file containing the required information (Easting, Northing, Elevation)
• GCP targets used on-site must be black & white checkerboard targets
• You must know the exact diagonal length of the physical target used

Upload GCPs

Learn in this tutorial how to upload black & white Ground Control Points (GCPs) into a Data Project:

Update GCPs of Your Project

Each project in SDX-Cloud can have only one active set of GCPs at a time. When you import a new GCP file, the previous set is automatically deactivated. Old GCPs cannot be deleted and are retained in the project history for documentation and traceability.

Important Notes

• Don’t guess the diagonal length — measure it accurately in millimeters.
• GCPs must be visible in the uploaded imagery (e.g., from drone flights).
• GCPs can be uploaded with each import independently. This means you can use different GCPs for different datasets within the same project.