Constructing 3-D Land Surface Temperature Model of Local Coal Fires Using UAV Thermal Images

Abstract

Coal fires have led to severe ecological disasters worldwide and threatened the health and safety of nearby residents to a certain extent. It is critical to detect the scope and extent of coal fires in order to control and extinguish them. In this paper, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), thermal infrared imaging and oblique photogrammetry technologies were integrated to create a 3D land surface temperature model of the Chunjingwa Coal Fire in Shanxi Province, China. Hundreds of visible and thermal infrared images were collected from 5 flight survey lines. The thermal infrared images were preprocessed in batches to meet the requirements of 3D modeling. The construction of the thermal infrared 3D model of the fires was achieved successfully, allowing for the visualization of the surface temperature field in true 3D. Four high-temperature zones were delineated according to the 3D land surface temperature model. Furthermore, the features of ground objects were clearly depicted by the visible 3D model constructed by visible images and the digital elevation model was established based on the spatial coordinate contained in the visible 3D model. The research results provide technical support for the subsequent firefighting plan, and a reference for the high-precision detection of other coal fires around the world.