• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.35 no.6_1
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• pp.973-985
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• 2019

In this paper, we propose a method to separate the ground and building areas and generate building models automatically through planarity analysis using UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) based point cloud. In this study, proposed method includes five steps. In the first step, the planes of the point cloud were extracted by analyzing the planarity of the input point cloud. In the second step, the extracted planes were analyzed to find a plane corresponding to the ground surface. Then, the points corresponding to the plane were removed from the point cloud. In the third step, we generate ortho-projected image from the point cloud ground surface removed. In the fourth step, the outline of each object was extracted from the ortho-projected image. Then, the non-building area was removed using the area, area / length ratio. Finally, the building's outer points were constructed using the building's ground height and the building's height. Then, 3D building models were created. In order to verify the proposed method, we used point clouds made using the UAV images. Through experiments, we confirmed that the 3D models of the building were generated automatically.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.403-412
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• 2022

As the 4th industrial revolution is in full swing and next-generation ICT(Information & Communications Technology) convergence technology is being developed, various smart construction technologies are being rapidly introduced in the construction field to respond to technological changes. In particular, since the earth-volume calculation process for site design accounts for a large part of the design cost at the construction site, related researches are being actively conducted to improve the efficiency of the process and accurately calculate the earth-volume. The purpose of this study is to present a method for quickly constructing the topography of a construction site in 3D and efficiently calculating earth-volume using the results. For this purpose, the construction site was constructed as a 3D realistic model using large-scale aerial photos obtained from UAV(Unmanned Aerial Vehicle). At this time, since the constructed 3D realistic model has a surface model structure in which volume calculation is impossible, the structure was converted into a 3D solid model to enable volume calculation. And we devised a methodology to calculate earth-volume based on CAD(Computer-Aided Design and Drafting) using the converted solid model. Automatically calculating earth-volume from the solid model by applying the method. As a result, It was possible to confirm a relative deviation of 1.52% from the calculated earth-volume from the existing survey results. In addition, as a result of comparative analysis of the process time required for each method, it was confirmed that the time required is reduced of 60%. The technique presented in this study is expected to be utilized as a technology for smart construction management, such as periodic site monitoring throughout the entire construction process, as well as cost reduction for earth-volume calculation.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.67 no.4
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• pp.274-284
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• 2022

To use kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) as a fiber and livestock feed, a high-yielding variety needs to be identified. For this, accurate phenotyping of plant height is required for this breeding purpose due to the strong relationship between plant height and yield. Plant height can be estimated using RGB images from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV-RGB) and photogrammetry based on Structure from Motion (SfM) algorithms. In kenaf, accurate measurement of height is limited because kenaf stems have high flexibility and its height is easily affected by wind, growing up to 3 ~ 4 m. Therefore, we aimed to identify a method suitable for the accurate estimation of plant height of kenaf and investigate the feasibility of using the UAV-RGB-derived plant height map. Height estimation derived from UAV-RGB was improved using multi-point calibration against the five different wooden structures with known heights (30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 cm). Using the proposed method, we analyzed the variation in temporal height of 23 kenaf cultivars. Our results demontrated that the actual and estimated heights were reliably comparable with the coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.80 and a slope of 0.94. This method enabled the effective identification of cultivars with significantly different heights at each growth stages.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.431-441
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• 2016

Since the use of UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) is convenient for the acquisition of data on broad or inaccessible regions, it is nowadays used to establish spatial information for various fields, such as the environment, ecosystem, forest, or for military purposes. In this study, the process of estimating FVC (Fractional Vegetation Cover), based on multi-spectral UAV, to overcome the limitations of conventional methods is suggested. Hence, we propose that the FVC map is generated by using multi-spectral imaging. First, two types of result classifications were obtained based on RF (Random Forest) using RGB images and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) with RGB images. Then, the result map was reclassified into vegetation and non-vegetation. Finally, an FVC map-based RF were generated by using pixel calculation and FVC map-based GI (Gutman and Ignatov) model were indirectly made by fixed parameters. The method of adding NDVI shows a relatively higher accuracy compared to that of adding only RGB, and in particular, the GI model shows a lower RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) with 0.182 than RF. In this regard, the availability of the GI model which uses only the values of NDVI is higher than that of RF whose accuracy varies according to the results of classification. Our results showed that the GI mode ensures the quality of the FVC if the NDVI maintained at a uniform level. This can be easily achieved by using a UAV, which can provide vegetation data to improve the estimation of FVC.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.559-568
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• 2016

For the economic management of photovoltaic power plants, it is necessary to regularly monitor the panels within the plants to detect malfunctions. Thermal infrared image cameras are generally used for monitoring, since malfunctioning panels emit higher temperatures compared to those that are functioning. Recently, technologies that observe photovoltaic arrays by mounting thermal infrared cameras on UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) are being developed for the efficient monitoring of large-scale photovoltaic power plants. However, the technologies developed until now have had the shortcomings of having to analyze the images manually to detect malfunctioning panels, which is time-consuming. In this paper, we propose an automatic photovoltaic panel area extraction algorithm for thermal infrared images acquired via a UAV. In the thermal infrared images, panel boundaries are presented as obvious linear features, and the panels are regularly arranged. Therefore, we exaggerate the linear features with a vertical and horizontal filtering algorithm, and apply a modified hierarchical histogram clustering method to extract candidates of panel boundaries. Among the candidates, initial panel areas are extracted by exclusion editing with the results of the photovoltaic array area detection. In this step, thresholding and image morphological algorithms are applied. Finally, panel areas are refined with the geometry of the surrounding panels. The accuracy of the results is evaluated quantitatively by manually digitized data, and a mean completeness of 95.0%, a mean correctness of 96.9%, and mean quality of 92.1 percent are obtained with the proposed algorithm.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.447-456
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• 2020

The study area is a slope in Dogye-eup, Samcheok-si, Gangwon-do. The cutting method was applied to this slope for stabilization in 2009 due to the influence of the waste-rock dump located at the top of slope. Recently, soil cracks and creep have occurred on this slope, and the drainage channel was damaged. Therefore, it was analyzed the topography change through photogrammetry using a UAV. Orthophotos were taken in April and October 2019 respectively. From the Orthophots, Digital Surface Model (DSM) was extracted. Time series analysis was performed by comparing each DSM. The topography of October was pushed forward while maintaining the topography of April. Through these features, it is judged that the soil creep is occurring in this study area.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.525-533
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• 2019

There are two feature collection methods in digital mapping using the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) Photogrammetry: vectorization and stereo plotting. In vectorization, planar information is extracted from orthomosaics and elevation value obtained from a DSM (Digital Surface Model) or a DEM (Digital Elevation Model). However, the exact determination of the positional accuracy of 3D features such as ground facilities and buildings is very ambiguous, because the accuracy of vectorizing results has been mainly analyzed using only check points placed on the ground. Thus, this study aims to review the possibility of 3D spatial information acquisition and digital map production of vectorization by analyzing the corner point coordinates of different layers as well as check points. To this end, images were taken by a Phantom 4 (DJI) with 3.6 cm of GSD (Ground Sample Distance) at altitude of 90 m. The outcomes indicate that the horizontal RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) of vectorization method is 0.045 cm, which was calculated from residuals at check point compared with those of the field survey results. It is therefore possible to produce a digital topographic (plane) map of 1:1,000 scale using ortho images. On the other hand, the three-dimensional accuracy of vectorization was 0.068~0.162 m in horizontal and 0.090~1.840 m in vertical RMSE. It is thus difficult to obtain 3D spatial information and 1:1,000 digital map production by using vectorization due to a large error in elevation.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.257-264
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• 2020

Vectorization is currently the main method in feature collection (extraction) during digital mapping using UAV-Photogrammetry. However, this method is time consuming and prone to gross elevation errors when extracted from a DSM (Digital Surface Model), because three-dimensional feature coordinates are vectorized separately: plane information from an orthophoto and height from a DSM. Consequently, the demand for stereo plotting method capable of acquiring three- dimensional spatial information simultaneously is increasing. However, this method requires an expensive equipment, a Digital Photogrammetry Workstation (DPW), and the technology itself is still incomplete. In this paper, we evaluated the accuracy of low-cost stereo plotting system, Menci's StereoCAD, by analyzing its three-dimensional spatial information acquisition. Images were taken with a FC 6310 camera mounted on a Phantom4 pro at a 90 m altitude with a Ground Sample Distance (GSD) of 3 cm. The accuracy analysis was performed by comparing differences in coordinates between the results from the ground survey and the stereo plotting at check points, and also at the corner points by layers. The results showed that the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) at check points was 0.048 m for horizontal and 0.078 m for vertical coordinates, respectively, and for different layers, it ranged from 0.104 m to 0.127 m for horizontal and 0.086 m to 0.092 m for vertical coordinates, respectively. In conclusion, the results showed 1: 1,000 digital topographic map can be generated using a stereo plotting system with UAV images.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.317-325
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• 2020

UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) photogrammetry has recently emerged as a means of obtaining highly precise and rapid spatial information due to its cost-effectiveness and high efficiency. However, current procedures or regulations for quantitative quality verification methods and certification processes for UAV-images are insufficient. In addition, the current verification method for image quality is not evaluated by an MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) analysis or edge response analysis, which can analyze the degree of contrast including image resolution, and only relies on the GSD (Ground Sample Distance) analysis. Therefore, in this study, the edge response analysis using a Slanted edge target was performed along with GSD analysis to confirm the necessity of analyzing edge response analysis in UAV-images quality analysis. Furthermore, a Matlab GUI-based software tool was developed to help streamline the edge response analysis. As a result, we confirmed the need for edge response analysis since the outputs of the edge response analysis from the same GSD had significantly different outcomes. Additionally, we found that the quality of the edge response analysis of UAV-images is proportional to the performance of the camera mounted on the UAV.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.499-506
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• 2019

NDSM (Normalized Digital Surface Model) is key information for the detailed analysis of remote sensing data. Although NDSM can be simply obtained by subtracting a DTM (Digital Terrain Model) from a DSM (Digital Surface Model), in case of UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) data, it is difficult to get an accurate DTM due to high resolution characteristics of UAV data containing a large number of complex objects on the ground such as vegetation and urban structures. In this study, RGB-based UAV vegetation index, ExG (Excess Green) was used to extract initial seed points having low ExG values for region growing such that a DTM can be generated cost-effectively based on high resolution UAV data. For this process, local window analysis was applied to resolve the problem of erroneous seed point extraction from local low ExG points. Using the DSM values of seed points, region growing was applied to merge neighboring terrain pixels. Slope criteria were adopted for the region growing process and the seed points were determined as terrain points in case the size of segments is larger than 0.25 ㎡. Various slope criteria were tested to derive the optimized value for UAV data-based NDSM generation. Finally, the extracted terrain points were evaluated and interpolation was performed using the terrain points to generate an NDSM. The proposed method was applied to agricultural area in order to extract the above ground heights of crops and check feasibility of agricultural monitoring.