Time Series UAV Image-Based Point Clouds for Landslide Progression Evaluation Applications

Landslides are major and constantly changing threats to urban landscapes and infrastructure. It is essential to detect and capture landslide changes regularly. Traditional methods for monitoring landslides are time-consuming, costly, dangerous, and the quality and quantity of the data is sometimes unable to meet the necessary requirements of geotechnical projects. This motivates the development of more automatic and efficient remote sensing approaches for landslide progression evaluation. Automatic change detection involving low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle image-based point clouds, although proven, is relatively unexplored, and little research has been done in terms of accounting for volumetric changes. In this study, a methodology for automatically deriving change displacement rates, in a horizontal direction based on comparisons between extracted landslide scarps from multiple time periods, has been developed. Compared with the iterative closest projected point (ICPP) registration method, the developed method takes full advantage of automated geometric measuring, leading to fast processing. The proposed approach easily processes a large number of images from different epochs and enables the creation of registered image-based point clouds without the use of extensive ground control point information or further processing such as interpretation and image correlation. The produced results are promising for use in the field of landslide research

Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Technology to Enhance Conservation Biology Research

This study examined the most effective ways to utilize unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for wildlife conservation. More specifically, a UAV platform was created that can perform multiple data collection tasks by utilizing interchangeable modules. The prototype produced in this study has the capability to perform many tasks through the use of interchangeable modules. These tasks include, but are not limited to aerial surveys and collection of biological samples. This innovative technology will provide invaluable assistance to conservation efforts by reducing research and subject injury or death while maximizing efficiency. The modular design of the prototype was developed for retail to major UAV manufacturers and individual researchers. By utilizing a remotely operated system, biologists will be able to collect data in more remote areas, cover a larger area in the same amount of time, and have a safer distance between themselves and potentially harmful wildlife. A modular design will limit the amount of individual supplies needed for multiple samplings. This modular UAV system helps to extend current research done in remote locations, protects researchers working with dangerous wildlife, and provides a more effective and efficient method of data collection

Time Series UAV Image-Based Point Clouds for Landslide Progression Evaluation Applications

Landslides are major and constantly changing threats to urban landscapes and infrastructure. It is essential to detect and capture landslide changes regularly. Traditional methods for monitoring landslides are time-consuming, costly, dangerous, and the quality and quantity of the data is sometimes unable to meet the necessary requirements of geotechnical projects. This motivates the development of more automatic and efficient remote sensing approaches for landslide progression evaluation. Automatic change detection involving low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle image-based point clouds, although proven, is relatively unexplored, and little research has been done in terms of accounting for volumetric changes. In this study, a methodology for automatically deriving change displacement rates, in a horizontal direction based on comparisons between extracted landslide scarps from multiple time periods, has been developed. Compared with the iterative closest projected point (ICPP) registration method, the developed method takes full advantage of automated geometric measuring, leading to fast processing. The proposed approach easily processes a large number of images from different epochs and enables the creation of registered image-based point clouds without the use of extensive ground control point information or further processing such as interpretation and image correlation. The produced results are promising for use in the field of landslide research

Procedimiento para la captura de datos fotogramétricos con la ayuda de aparatos controlados remotamente, como herramienta para la evaluación en estabilidad de taludes y difusión con realidad aumentada.

Esta investigación presenta una metodología técnica para usar aparatos UAV / RPAS (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle / Remotely Piloted Aircraft System) de bajo costo, misma que se constituye en una herramienta importante en la investigación de Estabilidad en Taludes, usando información del entorno espacial y temporal a partir de varias imágenes verticales y oblicuas, de esta manera se obtiene procedimientos eficientes en menores tiempos y con mayor precisión que las habituales. Para ello se realizó una investigación sobre los tipos de UAV´s que existen en el mercado, sus ventajas, desventajas y la forma correcta de usarlos, con el objetivo de realizar una descripción paso a paso de su proceso y postproceso, convirtiéndose en una tecnología eficiente dentro del campo de la Ingeniería Geotécnica. Para esta investigación se usaron dispositivos de tipo multi-rotor, el propósito fue realizar fotogrametría digital y obtener resultados eficientes y precisos para el estudio y evaluación de estabilidad de taludes, además se realizó varios vuelos de investigación de fotografías aéreas verticales y oblicuas, mismas que fueron procesadas en los softwares fotogramétricos Pix4d Mapper y Agisoft PhotoScan, de esta manera se descifró las aplicaciones que nos brinda esta tecnología al momento de levantar información del área inestable en estudio, estos resultados se obtuvieron en base al macro deslizamiento activo “Cachi”, ubicado en Ecuador, Provincia del Cañar, Cantón el Tambo. Por último, se realizó una investigación sobre la visión del entorno físico del mundo real, llamada Realidad Aumentada (RA), el propósito es el de presentar una propuesta de difusión para posteriores trabajos sobre deslizamientosAbstract:This research presents a technical methodology to use low cost devices UAV/RPAS (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle/ Remotely Piloted Aircraft System), which constitutes an important tool in the investigation of slope stability, using spatial and temporal information from several vertical and oblique images, in this way efficient procedures are obtained in shorter times and with precision that usual. For this purpose, an investigation was carried out on the types of UVA’s that exist in the market, their advantages, disvantages and the correct way to use them, with the aim of making a description step by step of its process and post process, becoming an efficient technology within the field of Geotechnical Engineering. For this research, multi-rotor type flying devices were used, the purpose was to perform digital photogrammetry and obtain efficient and accurate results for the study and evaluation of slope stability in addition, several research flights of vertical and oblique aerial photographs were carried out, which were processed in the photogrammetric software Pix4dMapper and Agisoft PhotoScan, in this way the applications that this technology gives us when deciphering at the moment we gather information from the unstable area under study, these results were obtained based on the ¨Carchi¨ active sliding macro, located in Cañar province, El Tambo town, Ecuador. Finally an investigation was carried out on the vision of the physical environment of the real world, called augmented reality (RA), the purpose is to present a dissemination proposal for subsequent work on landslides.Maestrí

UAVs for the Environmental Sciences

This book gives an overview of the usage of UAVs in environmental sciences covering technical basics, data acquisition with different sensors, data processing schemes and illustrating various examples of application