Potentials of the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) gererated by remotely Piloted Uaeronaven (ARP) un mapping beach areas.
UAV; positional accuracy; coastal mapping
This work presented a methodology used for generating and evaluating the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of beach areas based on a case study conducted on the North Coast of Ilhéus/ BA, Brazil. Flights were performed with the same aircraft (Phantom 4 Pro) on the same stretch of beach on the same day, using the same technical parameters; however, varying flight heights of 80, 100, and 120 m. The generation of MDE with RPA involved several stages: selection of the study area, RPA documentation for performing flight, flight planning, implementation of Control Points (PC) and Checkpoints (PV), data collection and processing with the aircraft, generation and evaluation of MDE. The evaluation of the models from external PVs positioned with GNSS revealed an accuracy of a few centimeters in planimetry and altimetry at all flight heights. This good accuracy, in addition to the high spatial resolution of the models, allowed the proper modeling of beach surfaces and the extraction of altimetric profiles throughout the study area, which is essential in numerous coastal applications. Thus, this work contributed to developing and disseminating research in modeling and coastal precision monitoring at an operational scale.