An approach of mapping quarries in Vietnam using low-cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Abstract

In Vietnam, there are a huge number of quarries that are
exploited and mainly provide materials to the construction sector of the
country. However, most of the quarries are operating without topographic
plans due to a lack of surveying activities. This paper introduces an
approach of using low-cost UAVs to produce digital surface models which
in turn are used to draw topographic maps of quarries in Vietnam. For
assessments of accuracy, safety, and working efficiency, four quarries
different in terrain conditions, namely Luong Son, Long Son, Nui Nho, and
Nui Dai were selected as the study areas. Ground control points were
established in each area by using GNSS/RTK for camera calibration and
accuracy assessment. The accuracy of DSM was assessed using the rootmean-
square error (RMSE) in X, Y, Z, XY, and XYZ components.
Capturing images from each site were processed by using
Agisoft®PhotoScan Professional 1.5.2. The results showed that all the
DSM models of the four areas have high accuracy, RMSE on the checked
GCPs ranges from 1.0 to 9.0 cm, from 1.2 to 5.0 cm, from 4.4 to 13.4 cm,
from 1.6 to 10.3 cm, and from 4.9 to 16.9 cm for X, Y, Z, XY, XYZ
components, respectively. We concluded that the low-cost UAV based
mapping technology can guarantee the accuracy of DSMs, the safety of
UAV flying, and the efficiency of surveying working simultaneously when
using in quarries.