Aerial Photogrammetry and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) Like a Smart Technology for Digital As-Built Mapping of Existing Buildings

Abstract

Small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly called drones, are gaining popularity not only among the general public and consumers but also among professionals working in the AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) industry. One way in which drones are proving to be a useful tool in architecture is through as-built surveying. Due to their small size and relative ease of maneuverability, drones make an easy task of accessing difficult-to-reach places. Airplanes are not able to fly too close to the ground, and therefore, the use of unmanned aerial vehicle in connection with the photogrammetry principles for digital mapping of building objects provides an effective solution. The main objective of this contribution is to describe how effectively to use unmanned aerial vehicle in the area of digital as-built mapping of existing buildings. As a reference building, the Faculty of Civil Engineering, located in Kosice, Slovakia, was chosen. This building is represented in the article as a reference object on which data collection is described as well as data processing with a specific hardware and software solution. The result of aerial mapping is a point cloud that serves as a template for processing of as-built documentation in the form of 2D layouts or 3D models, and the contribution also points to the possibility of linking aerial imagery to terrestrial laser scanning.