Military Application of Aerial Photogrammetry Mapping Assisted by Small Unmanned Air Vehicles

Abstract

This research investigated the practical military applications of the photogrammetric methods using remote sensing assisted by small unmanned aerial vehicles (SUAVs). The research explored the feasibility of UAV aerial mapping in terms of the specific military purposes, focusing on the geolocational and measurement accuracy of the digital models, and image processing time. The research method involved experimental flight tests using low-cost Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components, sensors and image processing tools to study key features of the method required in military like location accuracy, time estimation, and measurement capability. Based on the results of the data analysis, two military applications are defined to justify the feasibility and utility of the methods. The first application is to assess the damage of an attacked military airfield using photogrammetric digital models. Using a hex-rotor test platform with Sony A6000 camera, georeferenced maps with 1 meter accuracy was produced and with sufficient resolution (about 1 cm/pixel) to identify foreign objects on the runway. The other case examines the utility and quality of the targeting system using geo-spatial data from reconstructed 3-Dimensional (3-D) photogrammetry models. By analyzing 3-D model, operable targeting under 1meter accuracy with only 5 percent error on distance, area, and volume wer

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