Validating UAS-Based Photogrammetry with Traditional Topographic Methods for Surveying Dune Ecosystems in the Spanish Mediterranean Coast
1
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Alicante, Ctra. San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, San Vicente del Raspeig, 03690 Alicante, Spain
2
AIRLAB, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore 487372, Singapore
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2019, 7(9), 297; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse7090297
Received: 30 June 2019 / Revised: 20 August 2019 / Accepted: 28 August 2019 / Published: 30 August 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Remote Sensing Methods to Monitor Coastal Zones)
In the past few years, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have achieved great popularity for civil uses. One of the present main uses of these devices is low-cost aerial photogrammetry, being especially useful in coastal environments. In this work, a high-resolution 3D model of a beach section in Guardamar del Segura (Spain) has been produced by employing a low maximum takeoff mass (MTOM) UAS, in combination with the use of structure-from-motion (SfM) techniques. An unprecedented extensive global navigation satellite system (GNSS) survey was simultaneously carried out to statistically validate the model by employing 1238 control points for that purpose. The results show good accuracy, obtaining a vertical root mean square error (RMSE) mean value of 0.121 m and a high point density, close to 30 pt/m2, with similar or even higher quality than most coastal surveys performed with classical techniques. UAS technology permits the acquisition of topographic data with low time-consuming surveys at a high temporal frequency. Coastal managers can implement this methodology into their workflow to study the evolution of complex, highly anthropized dune-beach systems such as the one presented in this study, obtaining more accurate surveys at lower costs.
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Keywords:
UAS; GNSS; coastal environment; validation; DSM; dune systems; survey; 3D point cloud; SfM
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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Bañón, L.; Pagán, J.I.; López, I.; Banon, C.; Aragonés, L. Validating UAS-Based Photogrammetry with Traditional Topographic Methods for Surveying Dune Ecosystems in the Spanish Mediterranean Coast. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2019, 7, 297.
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