Photogrammetry: Latest Technology to Create Maps Using Drones?

Introduction

The use of drones is gaining tempo in recent years. Unlike manned aircraft, the drones can stay overhead for many hours. The drones are much cheaper than military aircraft and are flying remotely. Therefore, there is no danger to the flight crew.

The drone aircraft are in the news practically every day. There seems an immense use of drones in the construction sector which are helpful for construction professionals in various ways. In this article, we will learn to create maps using drones with the use of photogrammetry technology.

Drones (UAV- Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) are a buzzing word almost in every field these days. That means it is an aircraft, of any size or type, that flies by itself without onboard pilot or passengers. You may think of it as a robot plane, controlled either autonomously or via remote control.

Drones in Photogrammetry

The combination of light (photo), drawings and measurements are known as photogrammetry. Until recently, photogrammetry was a very particular niche within the geospatial industry. Well, it was a complicated subject accessible only to specialized experts. However, photogrammetry is gaining impulse and is becoming more and more universally available with the help of some easy courses to learn photogrammetry.

Photogrammetry is a now a field in which despite the need for some training to understand the basic, there are many useful applications such as creating 3D maps using aerial images.

What is aerial photogrammetry?

In a straightforward language, aerial photogrammetry is the act of placing a camera on a flying vehicle and taking several photos of the ground as it flies. The relevant images are being processed in a computer using particular software which will eventually generate a georeferenced and measured output.

Using this technique, the users can make measurements from photographs as well as giving a chance to photographers of pinpointing the exact positions of surface points. With the emergence and continuous evolution of computer imaging, the process of photogrammetry is becoming a lot easier and is, therefore, proving useful in the construction industry.

 Check the real heck here

Photogrammetric platforms are still carrying robust, sophisticated, expensive and exact sensors. Using such systems, the need for robust software to resolve photogrammetric issues is less relevant. The evolution of UAV (Unmanned Aerial vehicle) in photogrammetry has been a game changer.

The cameras are the essential gadgets of photogrammetry technology. These are the individual cameras which have the excellent focal length to get better picture quality.

While taking pictures the camera is commonly flying with its axis vertical, but oblique and horizontal (ground-based) photographs are also possible. The analytical and analog method accomplishes Data reduction and data conversion.

In vertical aerial surveys, we get adjacent photos overlapping each other.  The automated sensors of the operators superimpose the two images for 3D viewing.

A Close-Range Photogrammetry (CRP) is one of the types of photogrammetry. We will not see more of it, but in essence, it comprises of aligning cameras closer to a subject to measure building structure, revive forensic scenes, or model archaeological objects. It is also known as “image-based modeling.”

With the use of UAVs or the everyday cameras as well as the modern software’s, the analog geometry is now archaic. By analyzing every pixel in the images and comparing highly overlapping sets of images, software packages can compute back to the 3rd dimension unlike the human brain get a sense of depth from the two eyes.

Conclusion

With the use of 3D images, a photogrammetrists can create numeric models of natural systems. It immensely establishes the possibility of developing predictions and controlling the impacts of natural disasters. From earthquakes to tsunamis, we can now make easy predictions of the multiple forces of the natures.

Source:https://blog.nibt.education/2018/03/photogrammetry-latest-technology-to-create-maps-using-drones/