Abstract
Nowadays, a wide range of site planning, field investigation and slope analysis need to be carried out for slope protection and landslide-related disaster reduction. To enhance the efficiency of topography modeling, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has become a new surveying technique to obtain spatial information. This study aims to determine the topography of a slope by using a digital camera mounted on UAV to photograph with a high degree of overlap. The 3D point clouds data were generated through image feature point extraction integrated with accurate GPS ground control points. It is found in this study that the obtained Digital Surface Model (DSM) data, compared with the traditional field surveying techniques, has much superior performance. The resolution of the DSM has reached 1.58 cm. Also, the error of elevation and distance between DSM and actual 3D coordinates obtained by traditional total station survey is acceptance. It is clear that such a UAV surveying technique can replace conventional surveying methods and provide complete and accurate 3D topography information in automatic and highly efficient manner for most geotechnical applications.
Highlights
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has become a new surveying technique to obtain spatial information
Many researches have been focusing on applying unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to cope with disasters and acquire three-dimensional (3D) mapping and modeling
Remondino et al [6] concluded that 3D results like Digital Surface Model (DSM)/DTM, contour lines, textures 3D models, vector data, can be produced in a reasonable automated way by using UAV platforms
Summary
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has become a new surveying technique to obtain spatial information. Liu et al [10] collected information, including the potential applications of UAV to seismic risk assessment, transportation, disaster response, construction management, surveying and mapping, and flood monitoring and assessment. Topographic surveys need to be carried out to evaluate the site condition and suitability of the survey area It was accomplished by gathering spatial information including elevations and surface features of the surrounding terrain. To enhance the efficiency of topography modeling, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has become a popular surveying technique to acquire spatial information. The spatial resolution was about 1.58 cm/pixel (see Table 2)
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