Aerial Data Collection using Drone

Those days are behind us when collecting aerial data or geospatialinformation was possible only by using complex, costly, and tedious traditional methods. We no longer need to connect cameras or other sensory devices to aircrafts and helicopters laying low to gather data as our last resort. Not to mention the extra energy these methods eat up, their inability to access certain locations and overall inadequacy. For topographic surveys, Drones are extremely accurate with greater quality measurements delivered in just a fraction of seconds.

The purpose of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles has been extended from Military use to civilian consumption as well. Ever since, mapping coordinates, receiving high resolution imagery data with higher accuracy has become easily achievable and effective for construction businesses, surveyors amongst many others.

A drone or UAV, is an aircraft flying without the presence of a human pilot on board. These often have a ground-based control system manned by a licensed pilot. Multiple sensors such as high-resolution video and thermal cameras, laser scanners and Electromagnetic Energy sensors can be attached to it. Adding to the array of its compelling features, UAVs guarantee high quality orthomosaics which can further come in handy with photogrammetry, they can be deployed quickly, go to places geographically difficult for humans or other aircrafts to reach and what more, it does not even dig a hole into your wallet.

So how exactly is a drone beneficial when it comes to Land Survey?

• During any drone survey, the concerned land is photographed multiple times from various angles, each picture being tagged with its respective coordinates using panchromatic or multispectral cameras.
• This collected data helps create elevated 3D models of the location or orthomosaics.
• Furthermore, a highly precise and accurate measurement or distance can be acquired from it in minimal time frames.

Here is the list of reasons as to why UAV is a clear winner when it comes to Land Survey methods:

• Mapping Inaccessible Areas:
  As mentioned, an UAV can be manoeuvred smoothly through both extremely high and low altitudes safely, making it a lot easier to feed concise data to the GIS. Also, due to lack of ground mobility limitation, navigation becomes convenient.

• Cost and Time Effective
  One can never stop praising the major difference between the quickness and inexpensiveness of an UAV when compared to that of other existing methods. Higher data collection in short spans of time is

•  Higher bandwidth
  UAVs function on high bandwidth and with that, a lower latency. This enables better coverage of wireless signals as there are lesser obstacles during an aerial survey and faster communication is ensured.