Evaluation of the accuracy of volume calculation obtained by UAV

Abstract

The emergence of increasingly accurate, fast, and inexpensive tools in the acquisition of data for the management base suitable for each type of environment is fundamental in the development of sustainable engineering. Based on this, the evaluation of the accuracy of the volume calculation performed using Digital Terrain Models (DTM’s), generated by images of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was carried out. The study was conducted in the area of the new landfill in the municipality of Fortaleza, state of Ceará, in a waste stabilization pond. Two DTM’s were generated and evaluated. The first was generated by collecting points from a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, using 445 points, whereas the second was generated by aerial images obtained through a multirotor UAV, with 17 checkpoints and 10 Ground Control Points (GCP’s). With the two DTM’s of the GNSS Receiver and the UAV, the volume of the stabilization pond was calculated
 using the TopoEVN and Pix4D software, respectively. The estimated pond volume obtained through the Global Positioning System (GPS) data was 48548,33 m³, while by the UAV DTM, it was 48504,9 m³. The accuracy of the volume data obtained by DTM generated by UAV, even with considerable flight height (120 m), presented a result with variation less than 1% compared to those arising from conventional topography, thus indicating high reliability and data accuracy.