Analysis of Some Positional Accuracy Assessment Methodologies

This work presents an analysis of some standard methodologies for positional accuracy assessment of geographic data bases, taking into account aspects like the statistical formulation, the size of the control sample, the distribution and typology of the control elements, etc. Here we point out some weaknesses of the majority of standards: scarce formalism, inappropriate terminology for dealing with uncertainty, minimum recommended sample size, no assessment of the base hypothesis of the statistical model being applied, no information about the statistical behavior and reliability of the method, etc. The analysis developed here can serve as a starting point for the development of improved methodologies.