Fusion of UAV-based DEMs for vertical component accuracy improvement

Abstract Most construction projects require data that comply with a certain standard of accuracy both in the horizontal and vertical components. This study aimed to develop a model for improving the quality of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) produced by UAV. UAV is the short form of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, which is either fixed-wing or rotorcraft type. The study proposes a fusion approach that integrates a weighted averaging and additive median filtering algorithms to improve accuracy of the DEMs derived from fixed-wing UAVs. The low quality DEM was fused with high quality DEM produced by multi-rotor UAVs. Assessment of the DEM produced root mean square error of 1.14 cm and standard vertical accuracy of 2.24 cm at a 95% confidence level. This value represents a decrease in vertical standard error of 18.31 cm to 2.24 cm, which is an improvement of 88%. The result of the study indicates that the method is suitable for improving accuracy of DEM produced by UAVs.

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