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Hu, D.; Minner, J. Use of UAVs and 3D Modeling in Planning. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/52161 (accessed on 07 May 2024).
Hu D, Minner J. Use of UAVs and 3D Modeling in Planning. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/52161. Accessed May 07, 2024.
Hu, Dingkun, Jennifer Minner. "Use of UAVs and 3D Modeling in Planning" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/52161 (accessed May 07, 2024).
Hu, D., & Minner, J. (2023, November 28). Use of UAVs and 3D Modeling in Planning. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/52161
Hu, Dingkun and Jennifer Minner. "Use of UAVs and 3D Modeling in Planning." Encyclopedia. Web. 28 November, 2023.
Use of UAVs and 3D Modeling in Planning
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The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as drones, is a rapidly advancing technology. UAVs have become more accessible for urban planning and historic preservation due to their lower cost of acquisition and easier entry requirements for new pilots in comparison to airborne and satellite platforms. The use of 3D modeling has been prevalent in various fields; at present, an expanding trend involves the utilization of 3D modeling technology in the preservation of historical sites. It is possible that detailed and accurate representations of existing buildings could have ethical implications for the development of 3D models. As an example, researchers have pointed limitations or even misrepresentation of buildings in the creation of digital 3D representations. Drone photogrammetry offers enhanced methods to represent existing buildings with in more detail.

drone UAV unmanned aerial vehicle 3D three-dimensional digital twin

1. Overview of UAV Usage for 3D Modeling in Urban Planning

The growing body of publications suggests that UAVs have gained increasing attention among researchers, showing that UAVs have been applied to more fields as an emerging remote sensing technology [1][2][3][4]. UAV usage can be seen in publications related to transportation planning, historic preservation, land use planning, park activity monitoring, and sustainability planning [5][6]. For example, Bhatnagar et al. [7] presented a new technique for mapping wetlands using drone imagery and satellite imagery with the aim of reducing the need for costly and time-consuming field surveys. The authors captured a small number of drone images and used them to train a classifier that was then applied to satellite imagery. In another study, Donaire et al. [8] explained how drones or UAVs can take zenith images without visitors’ direct participation while offering highly accurate spatial information. 
Despite the diversity of UAV research in the above fields, the use of UAVs for 3D modeling in urban planning has been largely overlooked. Table 1 provides an overview of the existing planning literature on the use of UAVs in 3D modeling, highlighting the technologies used and future opportunities for research.
Table 1. An overview of the existing planning literature on the use of UAVs in 3D modeling.

2. Main Application Analysis

One important application of UAV photogrammetry is damage assessment and reconstruction of cities [32]. Building destruction is a common byproduct of war and natural disaster. It is very often the case that original drawings and pictures that directly reflect the original appearance of the buildings cannot be found. Therefore, researchers can only use other materials to compare and restore them step by step. In this context, UAVs can be applied to a city’s post-war reconstruction; photogrammetry allows researchers to create highly accurate models of ancient buildings and antiquities, while 3D models provide comprehensive digital data for infrastructure repair. Remarkably, despite the evident potential of UAVs in this domain, there is a surprising lack of scholarly articles specifically addressing this application. Further research and exploration in this area could significantly enhance the understanding and utilization of UAV photogrammetry for urban reconstruction endeavors.
Several challenges have been encountered in the use of photogrammetry to preserve cultural heritage. Many ancient and older heritage buildings have often undergone significant structural and appearance changes due to weathering, and may be fragile, making surveying difficult. In addition, recording details such as carvings and colors require close-up observations, which can be challenging. The remote and complex locations of many ancient buildings pose difficulties when manually setting up surveying equipment. Direct contact with fragile historic sites and ancient buildings can cause irreversible damage. UAVs provide a safe and non-contact solution for surveying and mapping, potentially revolutionizing the digitization of cultural heritage protection. The use of UAVs not only has the potential to enhance 3D documentation for the preservation of cultural resources, it could translate into new modes of historical interpretation through enhancements to virtual reality and augmented reality.

3. Common Themes

A number of studies have focused on using UAVs to map and model cultural heritage objects, urban spaces, and disaster sites with the goal of preserving, managing, and reconstructing historical sites in the future. While several studies have discussed the advantages of oblique photogrammetry over vertical photogrammetry in achieving higher accuracy in mapping, others have emphasized the necessity of developing systems that incorporate advanced technologies, such as 360° cameras and LiDAR technology, in order to generate precise representations of real-world environments [33].
Among the articles, many have common themes; for example, Li, 2018 [10] demonstrated the application of UAV photogrammetry in urban and regional planning, while Erenoglu et al., 2018 [14] studied the use of UAV technology for 3D modeling in relation to urban planning. Zhang et al., 2022 [15] presented a drone system empowered with artificial intelligence for real-time 3D reconstruction. Kikuchi et al. [13] created a method for visualizing urban 3D models through an outdoor augmented reality digital twin approach that provides low latency between the controller and the augmented reality digital twin device. In the context of historic preservation, Kikuchi et al., 2022 [13], Tariq et al., 2017 [11], and Berrett et al., 2021 [12] all focused on creating 3D models of historical sites using UAV photogrammetry and other technologies. Karachaliou et al., 2019 [9] developed an HBIM model of a museum using UAV photogrammetry, while Tariq et al., 2017 [11] used UAV photogrammetry to produce 3D models of archeological sites in Pakistan. Berrett et al., 2021 [12] developed a hyper-realistic 3D model of a university campus in the USA using UAV techniques in combination with other technologies. Li, 2018 [10] and Erenoglu et al., 2018 [14] both aimed to investigate the accuracy of UAV-based 3D modeling in urban planning, while Zhang et al., 2021 [15] focused on developing a real-time 3D reconstruction system using UAV technology. Kikuchi et al., 2022 [13] developed an outdoor augmented reality digital twin approach for public participation in urban design decision-making processes.
Several studies have demonstrated the potential of UAV photogrammetry in creating realistic 3D models of historical buildings, with Tariq et al., 2017 [11] using photogrammetry to develop accurate 3D models of archaeological sites in Pakistan and Karachaliou et al., 2019 [9] using UAV photogrammetry to create an HBIM model of the Averof’s Museum of Neohellenic Art in Greece. Erenoglu et al., 2018 [14] further investigated the accuracy of UAV-based 3D modeling and found it to be reliable and adaptable to different 3D modeling applications.
A number of studies have explored the use of UAVs to aid in disaster response, including Ferworn et al., 2011 [20], who suggested the use of readily available hardware to develop a system that can capture aerial data on disaster sites and create 3D models, potentially enhancing the effectiveness of existing disaster response techniques and guidelines. Soulakellis et al., 2020 [34] examined and proved the feasibility of using drone-based Structure-from-Motion (SfM) methods to aid in post-earthquake recovery. Similarly, Zhang et al., 2022 [15] presented their development of an artificial intelligence-empowered drone system that achieves real-time 3D reconstruction, which could be used for practical applications for data analysis and decision-making.
Studies have shown that UAVs have great potential when combined with other technologies. Campbell, 2018 [16] demonstrated the use of drones, photogrammetry, and virtual reality (VR) in documenting and preserving cultural artifacts at the Lelu ruins in Micronesia. Additionally, a UAV system powered by artificial intelligence with the ability to perform real-time 3D reconstruction of urban cities was presented in [15]; using a combination of depth fusion and visual–inertial odometry, this system allows for improved 3D model quality and interactive navigation guidance.

4. Common Method and Model

The utilization of UAVs in urban planning and protection involves various methods, technologies, and models for image processing and modeling analysis. These methods contribute to the effectiveness and efficiency of UAV-based data collection and analysis.
Several key studies have highlighted the innovations in this field; for instance, one study presented a multi-UAV coverage path planning method for 3D reconstruction of post-disaster damaged buildings [35]. The methodology involved generating camera location points surrounding targeted damaged buildings, filtering and sorting these points, and optimizing routes to balance flight distance and time. The proposed method outperformed conventional overhead flight with the nadir-looking method, resulting in higher-quality 3D models. This study highlights the importance of UAVs along with their role in capturing high-resolution images and detailed information for assessing damage situations in specific areas.
The integration of OpenStreetMap (OSM) data with the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 World 3D-30 m (AW3D-30) digital surface model (DSM) has demonstrated substantial potential for scientific research, in particular due to the increasing size of OSM data and the global coverage of AW3D-30 [36]. This study emphasized the need for a global completeness assessment of OSM data in order to enhance its utility, acknowledging concerns about data quality, as OSM data are primarily contributed by non-professionals. Nonetheless, OSM remains a valuable source of 2D building data, especially in regions where authorized building data are not freely available.
In terms of data extraction and surface reconstruction, Pix4Dmapper software (version 4.8) is commonly used for transforming images collected by UAVs into various outputs, such as 3D point clouds, orthomosaics, and DSMs [18]. The software employs computer vision and photogrammetry techniques to process geo-tagged images and generate dense point clouds, 3D meshes, and textured models. Additionally, Blender (version 4.0), an open-source 3D render software, can be used to enhance the photorealism of 3D models generated by Pix4Dmapper. Blender enables texture mapping, lighting adjustments, denoising filters, and other rendering enhancements to produce high-quality visualizations.
Another study proposed a city-scale digital twin approach for future landscape visualization using AR and drones. The method involved rendering AR with occlusion handling, using a detailed city 3D model on a server PC using software such as Unity (version 2020.1.7) and Metashape (version 1.6.0), and integrating it with an AR device to generate both first-person and overhead views [13]. The IoU segmentation metric was used to evaluate the accuracy when handling occlusion. The proposed method can enable free AR viewpoints and multiple-stakeholder participation in urban design projects.
These examples demonstrate the ongoing technological innovations in image processing and modeling analysis for UAV-based urban planning and protection. The integration of OSM data with AW3D-30 DSM, multi-UAV coverage path planning methods, and advanced software tools such as Pix4Dmapper and Blender showcase the evolving capabilities and quantitative effects of UAV image processing and modeling. These advancements contribute to the generation of accurate and detailed spatial information, facilitating informed decision-making and planning in urban environments.

References

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