Acquisition of Inaccessible Geospatial Data

Abstract

The acquisition of geospatial data from inaccessible areas using conventional methods and man-operated mobile mapping system (MMS) is a critical operation. However, autonomous unmanned vehicles may be used for the acquisition of geospatial data from inaccessible areas rapidly and cost-effectively. Therefore, the objective of this research work is the acquisition of geospatial data using an unmanned mobile mapping system (UMMS) and validating the acquired data using the inexpensive RTK GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) system. The data have been collected at the predefined waypoints using UMMS of the study areas. The waypoints and study areas have been selected using Google Earth. The quality of acquired data by the system has been tested with a geodetic GNSS receiver data. It has been observed that the proposed system has the capability to provide data with an accuracy of 2.5 cm. The accuracy of the proposed system degrades as the system navigates under the canopy and buildings.