Opportunities

Abstract

This chapter presents some aspects of how drones are expanding the potential of aerial geographic observation. General basics are summarized in the first section (3.1). Some development lines of the use of small UAV in geography-related remote sensing are then discussed from a theoretical point of view (3.2). The following section (3.3) presents a series of current applications in reference to selected works from the scientific and divulgation literature and news from the Web. The adopted point of view on the topics is centered on the data acquisition capability of small UAVs. Such an approach highlights the fact that currently available technologies can possibly be used to fulfill several and sometimes thematically distant purposes in geographic observation. The last section (3.4) is devoted to a general discourse on the potential of small drones toward the exploration of historic and cultural landscapes, from archaeology to a more humanistic-oriented interpretation of present-day places.