Integrating UAV and TLS Approaches for Environmental Management: A Case Study of a Waste Stockpile Area

• Main Authors: Seung Woo Son, Dong Woo Kim, Woong Gi Sung, Jae Jin Yu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-05-01
• Series: Remote Sensing
• Subjects: integration; point cloud; terrestrial laser scanning; unmanned aerial vehicle; volume computation
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/10/1615

A methodology for optimal volume computation for the environmental management of waste stockpiles was derived by integrating the terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies. Among the UAV-based point clouds generated under various flight scenarios, the most accurate point cloud was selected for analysis. The root mean square errors (RMSEs) of the TLS- and UAV-based methods were 0.202 and 0.032 m, respectively, and the volume computation yielded 41,226 and 41,526 m³, respectively. Both techniques showed high accuracy but also exhibited drawbacks in terms of their spatial features and efficiency. The TLS and UAV methods required 800 and 340 min, respectively, demonstrating the high efficiency of the UAV method. The RMSE and volume obtained using the TLS/UAV fusion model were calculated as 0.030 m and 41,232 m³, respectively. The UAV approach generally yielded high point cloud accuracy and volume computation efficiency.