AUTHOR(S): 

Andras Molnar, Zsolt Domozi

TITLE

Volume Analysis of Surface Formations on the Basis of Aerial Photographs Taken by Drones

KEYWORDS

UAV, drone, 3D surface model, photogrammetry, environmental protection, mine recultivation

ABSTRACT

At present, recultivation of abandoned open-pit mines is an important environmental task. The determination of the amount of soil required is indispensable for the preparation of the investment’s expenditure plans. The conventional method of the area’s accurate geodetic survey takes expertise and much time. The accuracy of the obtained result strongly depends on the experience of the specialist and the number of surveys. A good quality 3D digital elevation model (DEM) can be made of aerial photographs taken by small sized drones (wingspan of 1-3 m and take-off mass of 2-5 kg). The survey may take 20-40 minutes/1-10 km2 depending on the size of the area. During the presented experiments the amount of soil required was determined for the recultivation of a closed gravel mine based on aerial photos taken by drones after the successful 3D reconstruction of numerous artificial surface formations. In the experiments which were carried out calculations have been made on many covering surfaces of different design demonstrating the flexibility of the procedure. The procedure can be used not only for the volume calculation of mines but also for the inspection of restoration.

Cite this paper

Andras Molnar, Zsolt Domozi. (2016) Volume Analysis of Surface Formations on the Basis of Aerial Photographs Taken by Drones. Signal Processing, 1, 152-159