Measurement 73 (2015) 539–543

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Measurement
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/measurement

DEM generation with UAV Photogrammetry and accuracy

analysis in Sahitler hill
M. Uysal a, A.S. Toprak b, N. Polat a,⇑
a
Afyon Kocatepe University, Faculty of Engineering GeomaticsDep, 03200 Afyonkarahisar, Turkey
b
Afyon Kocatepe University, School of Distance Education, 03200 Afyonkarahisar, Turkey

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Nowadays Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are widely used in many applications for dif-
Received 30 March 2015 ferent purposes. Their benefits however are not entirely detected due to integration capa-
Received in revised form 20 May 2015 bilities of other equipment such as; digital camera, GPS, or laser scanner. The main scope of
Accepted 9 June 2015
this paper is evaluating performance of cameras integrated UAV for geomatic applications
Available online 24 June 2015
by the way of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) generation in a small area (approximately
5 ha). In this purpose, 27 ground control points are surveyed with RTK and 200 photos cap-
Keywords:
tured with Canon EOS M. Over 26 million georeferenced points were used in DEM genera-
UAV
UAV Photogrammetry
tion process. Accuracy of the DEM was evaluated with 30 check points and obtained
Topographic surveying 6.62 cm overall vertical accuracy from an altitude of 60 m.
Accuracy analysis Outcomes of the study show that the data derived from UAV Photogrammetry have ade-
DEM quate accuracy very much alike to RTK GPS data. So it is possible to use the UAV
Photogrammetry data as map producing, surveying, and some other engineering applica-
tions with the advantages of low-cost, time conservation, and minimum field work.
Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction Vehicles (UAVs) are used to pass this handicap.

Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is an important topo-
graphic product and essential demand for many applica-
tions. Traditional methods for creating DEM are very
costly and time consuming because of land surveying. In
time, Photogrammetry has become one of the major meth-
ods to generate DEM. Recently, airborne Light Detection
and Ranging (LiDAR) system has become a powerful way
to produce a DEM due to advantage of collecting
three-dimensional information very effectively over a large
area by means of precision and time [1]. However, the
main disadvantage of aerial manned platforms such as air-
planes is being expensive, especially for small study areas.
During the last decades, low-cost Unmanned Aerial
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: muysal@aku.edu.tr (M. Uysal), astoprak@aku.edu.tr
(A.S. Toprak), nizarpolat@gmail.com (N. Polat).
Nowadays, the use of UAVs is increasing day by day due
to its advantages at cost, inspection, surveillance, recon-
naissance, and mapping [2].
The term UAV is used commonly in the computer
science and artificial intelligence community, but terms
like Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV), Remotely Operated
Aircraft (ROA), Remote Controlled (RC) Helicopter,
Unmanned Vehicle Systems (UVS), and Model Helicopter
are often in use [3]. The RC and Model Helicopters are
clearly defined by the Unmanned Vehicle Systems
International Associations as mini, close, short, and med-
ium range UAVs depending on their size, endurance, range,
and flying altitude [4,2]. UAVs are to be understood as
uninhabited and reusable motorized aerial vehicles which
are remotely controlled, semi-autonomous or have a com-
bination of these capabilities, and that can carry various
types of payloads, making them capable of performing
specific tasks within the earth’s atmosphere, or beyond,

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2015.06.010
0263-2241/Ó 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
540 M. Uysal et al. / Measurement 73 (2015) 539–543
for a duration, which is related to their missions [5]. The
UAVs system was firstly applied for military goals but in
1979 Przybilla and Wester-Ebbinghaus [6], applied one of
the earliest experiments with fixed wing UAVs for geo-
matic applications.
UAVs are established as serious alternative for tradi-
tional data capture, especially while aiming at mapping
application with high spatial and temporal resolution and
introduces also a low-cost alternative to the classical
manned aerial Photogrammetry [7,8]. Data collection just
requires small, light UAV platform with a control system
and standard consumer grade digital camera [9].
Basically UAVs applications can be classified as forestry
and agriculture, archaeology and cultural heritage, envi-
ronmental surveying, traffic monitoring, 3D reconstruction
[2]. There are various UAVs based civilian applications at
the scientific literature [8,10–16]. In this study UAV plat-
form is used to capture aerial images of Sahitler hills in
purpose of generating the digital elevation model.
2. Study area and equipment
The study area (latitude 38.790947° and longitude
30.536089°) is a partly rocky hill with approximately
40 000 m2 and an average elevation of 1005 m above sea
level near Afyon Kocatepe University campus, Turkey.
2.1. UAV, digital camera and ground control boards
The OCTO XL UAV was used to capture images. It uses
the microcopter electronic. The weight of it is approxi-
mately 2.05 kg and the payload is 2 kg. Flying time
Fig. 1. The flight plan.
essentially depends on both batty and payload weight. A
lot of features of this model are available such as Altitude
Hold, GPS Hold, CareFree, Coming Home, Fail Safe, Low
Battery Protection, Auto Take Off and Landing, Waypoint
Flight and Follow Me. Mikrocopter (MK Tools) software
let us to view the navigation and flight status information
in real time. It is possible to perform autonomous flight
plan over the online maps. Moreover, some details such
as horizontal and vertical speed, altitude, direction, waiting
time at willing points, coordinate information, and camera
angle are also can be specified. Waypoint Flight electronic
is capable of autonomous flight in a 250 m radius area and
250 m fly height for a standard 32-points route.
The digital camera was Canon EOS M. It has featured
with 18 Megapixel and 22.3 ⁄ 14.9 CMOS image sensor.
Single, continuous, and self-timer drive abilities are among
the digital camera features. The Body weight of the device
is 298 g and it reaches a total the weight of 403 g with
EF-M 22 mm lens.
Ground control points are designed as 50 ⁄ 50 cm plates
made of aluminum. In order to be more visible in the pho-
tographs, the plates were painted red and white.
3. Application
3.1. Flight plan and data collection
It was difficult to prepare a flight plan with the available
software for a UAV surveying applications. However, MK
Tools allow us to pass this obstacle. The main advantage
of this software is to require minimum user interferences.
After the some parameters such as overlapping of photos,
 M. Uysal et al. / Measurement 73 (2015) 539–543
waypoints, flight path, and altitude had been defined on an
online map and uploaded, the UAV carried out the flight
plan automatically. It is necessary to remember some pre-
cautions: weather condition of the study area, daylight sta-
tus for better photos, backup battery depends on the study
area, and controls of flight, engine, and navigation of UAV
against any errors.
When all the necessary controls had finished, online
maps were uploaded to OSD. The flight plan was prepared
based on this map with a 4 column and 32 point route and
the altitude were 60 m (Fig. 1) and was uploaded to the
UAV. Then automatic flight was started.
At each waypoint the UAV captures photo, but the cam-
era was designed for capturing photos in a 2 s interval in
purpose of many more photos. This has given us the possi-
bility of eliminating damaged or blurry photographs.
Moreover, it is still possible to cut in during the flight for
any reason. When the flight over, the UAV automatically
turns where it takes off. At the end of the flight the UAV
collected 250 photos of the study area.
3.2. Data processing and DEM generation
The main aim of process is to produce a georeferenced
3D point cloud by handling with irregular and overlapping
aerial image data [17]. Existing software’s can generate a
3D point cloud such as; Agisoft PhotoScan (commercial
software) that has been used in this study (URL-1).
The software is advanced in UAV applications and
allows to generate DEM and orthophoto in a willed coordi-
nate system. For a full performance of software, it’s recom-
mended to use a powerful computer due to the huge
amount of data [17].
The data processing is relatively easy. It starts with
uploading photos from camera to computer and
Fig. 2. Generated uncolored and colored point clouds. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web
version of this article.)
541
eliminating distorted or blurred ones. We used 200
selected photos. The interior orientation of photos was
determined in Photo Modeller software. The process pro-
ceeds with aligning photos, building geometry, and texture
building for realistic appearance. The software generates
an assessment report for each step of processing.
For a geomatic application, it is necessary to georefer-
ence the data. There are two common methods for that.
Direct georeferencing depends on the simultaneity of GPS
time and the camera inertial time. After the adjustment
of these data, the 3D georeferenced point cloud can be gen-
erated directly. At the indirect technique, the Ground
Control Points (GCP) that were measured before the flight
by the method of RTK GPS surveying are used to georefer-
ence the data. The color and size of GCPs must be suitable
to distinguish at the natural color of study area due to
marking them during the process. In this application, indi-
rect method was used to georeference with 27 GCP which
were measured by RTK with a base station top of the Afyon
Kocatepe University Faculty of Engineering faculty about
3 km away from the study area at ITRF96 datum and
2005.00 Epok. The accuracy of GCPs is calculated as
2.37 cm.
Georeferenced 3D point cloud was generated as both
sparse point cloud as 4 092 485 points and dense point
cloud as 26 025 883 points (point density 450 pt per m2).
Point cloud and colored point cloud are shown in Fig. 2.
Finally, DEM was generated from dense point cloud at a
resolution of 5.203 cm per pixel (Fig. 3).
3.3. Accuracy analysis
Accuracy analysis was performed with the sample point
surveying in the study area and comparing them with gen-
erated DEM. In this purpose 30 check points was measured
542 M. Uysal et al. / Measurement 73 (2015) 539–543

Fig. 3. Generated DEM of the study area.

Fig. 4. Measured errors between generated DEM and checkpoints.

similarly to GCPs survey that performed before the flight. possible to point based analysis of RMSE values to
The Z error was computed by deducting check points Z val- determine the relation between topographic features and
ues from the DEM value at the same point. Calculations altitude.
were carried out according to Eq. (1). The results of this cal-
culation can be found at Fig. 4. Calculated vertical accuracy 4. Conclusions
is 6.62 cm at total.

sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi This article indicates the capability of UAVs, which are

2 an alternative data collection technology, in a geomatic
ðzdem  zrefÞ
RMSE ¼ ð1Þ application in a small area by means of DEM generation
n
with. Comparing with traditional manned airborne plat-
The details of RMS error for 30 check points are in Fig. 4. forms, they reduce the working costs and minimize the
The maximum and minimum errors are at the points of 18 danger of reaching to risky study sites, with sufficient
and 13 with the values of 8.55 cm and 0.81 cm. It is accuracy [2]. In fact, the UAV systems have lots of
 M. Uysal et al. / Measurement 73 (2015) 539–543
advantages (low-cost, real time, high temporal and spatial
resolution data, etc.) which are very important for not only
geomatic but also various disciplines. The application indi-
cates that the UAV combined digital camera systems can
allow to collect usable data for geomatic applications such
as DEM. For a small area relative to UAV specifications, it
can be a supplement or a replacement alternative of terres-
trial methods for image acquisition [2].
The study shows that UAV based data can be used for
DEM generation by photogrammetric techniques with a
vertical accuracy of 6.62 cm. It can be state that the UAV
Photogrammetry can be used to map producing, surveying,
and some other engineering applications with the advan-
tages of low-cost, time conservation, minimum field work,
and competence accuracy. Moreover the created 3D model
is satisfactory to realize topography with texture. On the
other hand, except GCP some parameters such as weather,
vibrations, lens distortions, and software directly affects
the process and model accuracy. Beyond all these, the
UAVs system is not fully automated and still needs a user
decision. Future studies may offer an automated approach
for UAVs that minimizes the user attraction.
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