UAV-based landfill operation monitoring: A year of volume and topographic measurements. (1st January 2022) - Mello, Caio César de Sousa
Highlights: UAV applications on waste landfill operational and geotechnical monitoring. Long-term comparison between UAV photogrammetry and total station measurements. Different GCPs configurations used in order to analyze performance optimization. Topography and settlement evaluation based on remote data collected by UAV system. Abstract: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for photogrammetry operations configures a technology capable of extracting quantitative information from land surface in a fast, accurate and safe way, reproducing it in high-resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and orthomosaics. Due to the operational efficiency of this technique, there is an interest in evaluating its quality compared to other methodologies traditionally used for monitoring procedures in infrastructure earthwork. In sanitary landfills, operational monitoring is directly linked to topographic services, as these are the main source of data for the geometric assessment of the work. In this context, the aim of the study was to verify accuracy and application range of UAV photogrammetry for geometrical and volumetric measurements, when compared to usual conventional survey procedures using total station, and how it can aggregate reliable data to landfills monitoring activities. UAV flights were carried on monthly basis, over a year. For accuracy analysis, the maximum RMSE error observed was 7.1 cm for horizontal axis and 0.37 cm for vertical axis for the monitoring period. Volumetric measurements were tested using Ground Control Point (GCPs) configurations distributed first at the landfill perimeter, which resulted in an average difference of 9% from that calculated by conventional topography, and measurements where GCPs were placed also in the landfill operation fronts, when a 4% average difference diverging from conventional topography was obtained. The conclusion shows that such monitoring routines, when performed periodically, provides a robust database with a high level of operational performance, covering effective information for preventive and corrective monitoring in landfill projects.