An Overview of the Potential of UAV Applications to the Built Environment

Abstract

This chapter presents an overview of the potential role of UAVs for monitoring, mapping, surveying, modelling, and visualising the ‘built environment' and their role in sustainable urbanisation. The ‘built environment' includes rural, urban, and underwater environments. Together with low-cost image processing and softcopy photogrammetry, fixed-wing and multi-rotor UAVs can collect a wide range of imagery for generating 3D models of individual buildings, and record and analyse architecture and infrastructure and terrain models. Consideration is given to non-imaging sensors carried on UAVs. Input to GIS provides a basis to create visually realistic models of the ‘built-environment' for urban and rural planning and decision-making for sustainable urbanisation. 3D visualisation software, virtual, and augmented reality will allow public engagement with the spatial planning process. Safety and operational considerations are needed for UAV flights. The chapter concludes by examining how this technology will develop in the future to play a role in sustainable urbanisation.