A Structure-from-Motion Pipeline for Topographic Reconstructions Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Open Source Software

This study presents the operational framework for rapid, very-high resolution mapping of glacial geomorphology, with the use of budget Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and a structure-from-motion approach. The proposed workflow comprises seven stages: (1) Preparation and selection of the appropriate platform; (2) transport; (3) preliminary on-site activities (including optional ground-control-point collection); (4) pre-flight setup and checks; (5) conducting the mission; (6) data processing; and (7) mapping and change detection. The application of the proposed framework has been illustrated by a mapping case study on the glacial foreland of Hørbyebreen, Svalbard, Norway. A consumer-grade quadcopter (DJI Phantom) was used to collect the data, while images were processed using the structure-from-motion approach. The resultant orthomosaic (1.9 cm ground sampling distance—GSD) and digital elevation model (7.9 cm GSD) were used to map the glacial-related landforms in detail. It demonstrated the applicability of the proposed framework to map and potentially monitor detailed changes in a rapidly evolving proglacial environment, using a low-cost approach. Its coverage of multiple aspects ensures that the proposed framework is universal and can be applied in a broader range of settings.

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Using unmanned aerial vehicles and structure-from-motion photogrammetry to characterize sedimentary outcrops: An example from the Morrison Formation, Utah, USA

Sedimentary Geology ◽

10.1016/j.sedgeo.2017.03.013 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 354 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

J.T. Chesley ◽

A.L. Leier ◽

S. White ◽

R. Torres

Keyword(s):

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽

Structure From Motion ◽

Morrison Formation ◽

Aerial Vehicles

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Using UAVs to Manage Archaeological Heritage

An Archaeology and History of a Caribbean Sugar Plantation on Antigua ◽

10.5744/florida/9781683401285.003.0016 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 247-264

Author(s):

Erin Friedman ◽

Cory Look ◽

Matthew Brown

Keyword(s):

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽

Structure From Motion ◽

Heritage Management ◽

Aerial Imagery ◽

Surface Model ◽

Archaeological Research ◽

Archaeological Heritage ◽

Sugar Plantation ◽

Aerial Vehicles ◽

Archaeological Excavations

This chapter explores the use of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) for the use of archaeological investigations and heritage management at the historic sugar plantation of Betty’s Hope, Antigua. While the acquisition of low flying aerial imagery, such as kite photography, has been common practice within archaeological research, recent software innovations coupling photogrammetry and UAV technologies are providing new tools for exploration. Two different approaches for UAV acquisition are explored in this chapter: the first for use within archaeological excavations and the second for use at studying the landscape. Both have particular implications for heritage management, as the use of structure from motion (SfM) methodology coupled with aerial imagery can be used to produce an accurate 3D surface model of the site that is akin to site scanners and LiDAR technology. The important differences and limitations to these technologies are discussed.

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Sediment Yields Triggered by Heavy Rainfall in July 2012 at Aso Volcano: Application of High-Definition Topography Data Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Structure-from-Motion Multi-View Stereo Photogrammetry

Geographical review of Japan series A ◽

10.4157/grj.89.347 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 89 (6) ◽

pp. 347-359 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

SAITO Hitoshi ◽

UCHIYAMA Shoichiro ◽

OBANAWA Hiroyuki ◽

HAYAKAWA Yuichi S.

Keyword(s):

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽

Structure From Motion ◽

Heavy Rainfall ◽

Aso Volcano ◽

High Definition ◽

Sediment Yields ◽

Aerial Vehicles ◽

Stereo Photogrammetry ◽

Topography Data

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Reconnaissance of Two Liquefaction Sites Using Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Structure from Motion Computer Vision Following the April 1, 2014 Chile Earthquake

Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering ◽

10.1061/(asce)gt.1943-5606.0001647 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 143 (5) ◽

pp. 04016125 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Kevin W. Franke ◽

Kyle M. Rollins ◽

Christian Ledezma ◽

John D. Hedengren ◽

Derek Wolfe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Computer Vision ◽

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽

Structure From Motion ◽

Aerial Vehicles ◽

Chile Earthquake

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Using Multiple Open-Source Low-Cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for 3D Photogrammetry and Distributed Wind Measurement

Volume 3: ASME/IEEE 2009 International Conference on Mechatronic and Embedded Systems and Applications; 20th Reliability, Stress Analysis, and Failure Prevention Conference ◽

10.1115/detc2009-87586 ◽

2009 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Austin M. Jensen ◽

Daniel Morgan ◽

YangQuan Chen ◽

Shannon Clemens ◽

Thomas Hardy

Keyword(s):

Data Acquisition ◽

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽

Open Source ◽

Low Cost ◽

Distributed Information ◽

Wind Measurement ◽

Aerial Vehicles ◽

Multiple Uavs ◽

3D Photogrammetry

Small, low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) has made data acquisition more convenient and accessible for many applications. Using multiple UAVs (a coven) brings even more advantages like redundancy and distributed information. The objective of this paper is to show how a coven of UAVs can help two applications: measuring wind and 3D photogrammetry.

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Advances in mapping sub-canopy snow depth with unmanned aerial vehicles using structure from motion and lidar techniques

10.5194/tc-2019-284 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Phillip Harder ◽

John W. Pomeroy ◽

Warren D. Helgason

Keyword(s):

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽

Structure From Motion ◽

Snow Depth ◽

Point Clouds ◽

Airborne Lidar ◽

Canadian Prairie ◽

Widespread Application ◽

Aerial Vehicles ◽

Wide Range ◽

Consistent Error

Abstract. Vegetation has a tremendous influence on snow processes and snowpack dynamics yet remote sensing techniques to resolve the spatial variability of sub-canopy snow depth are lacking. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) have had recent widespread application to capture high resolution information on snow processes and are herein applied to the sub-canopy snow depth challenge. Previous demonstrations of snow depth mapping with UAV Structure from Motion (SfM) and airborne-lidar have focussed on non-vegetated surfaces or reported large errors in the presence of vegetation. In contrast, UAV-lidar systems have high-density point clouds, measure returns from a wide range of scan angles, and so have a greater likelihood of successfully sensing the sub-canopy snow depth. The effectiveness of UAV-lidar and UAV-SfM in mapping snow depth in both open and forested terrain was tested in a 2019 field campaign in the Canadian Rockies Hydrological Observatory, Alberta and at Canadian Prairie sites near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Only UAV-lidar could successfully measure the sub-canopy snow surface with reliable sub-canopy point coverage, and consistent error metrics (RMSE

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Habitat suitability maps for juvenile tri-spine horseshoe crabs in Japanese intertidal zones: A model approach using unmanned aerial vehicles and the Structure from Motion technique

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0244494 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (12) ◽

pp. e0244494

Author(s):

Akihiko Koyama ◽

Taiga Hirata ◽

Yuki Kawahara ◽

Hiroki Iyooka ◽

Haruka Kubozono ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽

Structure From Motion ◽

Habitat Suitability ◽

Tidal Range ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Intertidal Zones ◽

Intertidal Flats ◽

Aerial Vehicles ◽

Short Period ◽

Suitability Maps

The tri-spine horseshoe crab, Tachypleus tridentatus, is a threatened species that inhabits coastal areas from South to East Asia. A Conservation management system is urgently required for managing its nursery habitats, i.e., intertidal flats, especially in Japan. Habitat suitability maps are useful in drafting conservation plans; however, they have rarely been prepared for juvenile T. tridentatus. In this study, we examined the possibility of constructing robust habitat suitability models (HSMs) for juveniles based on topographical data acquired using unmanned aerial vehicles and the Structure from Motion (UAV-SfM) technique. The distribution data of the juveniles in the Tsuyazaki and Imazu intertidal flats from 2017 to 2019 were determined. The data were divided into a training dataset for HSM construction and three test datasets for model evaluation. High accuracy digital surface models were built for each region using the UAV-SfM technique. Normalized elevation was assessed by converting the topographical models that consider the tidal range in each region, and the slope was calculated based on these models. Using the training data, HSMs of the juveniles were constructed with normalized elevation and slope as the predictor variables. The HSMs were evaluated using the test data. The results showed that HSMs exhibited acceptable discrimination performance for each region. Habitat suitability maps were built for the juveniles in each region, and the suitable areas were estimated to be approximately 6.1 ha of the total 19.5 ha in Tuyazaki, and 3.7 ha of the total 7.9 ha area in Imazu. In conclusion, our findings support the usefulness of the UAV-SfM technique in constructing HSMs for juvenile T. tridentatus. The monitoring of suitable habitat areas for the juveniles using the UAV-SfM technique is expected to reduce survey costs, as it can be conducted with fewer investigators over vast intertidal zones within a short period of time.

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