PRESS RELEASE
UAV technology and trends: “UAVs have come of age”
Karlsruhe/Berlin, 26 August 2014. UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) are taking over the
surveying industry thanks to their ever-improving sensors and the fact that they are getting
lighter and can therefore remain in the air for longer. They complete surveying and inspection
tasks that would otherwise be difficult to tackle and do so with impressive cost-efficiency. UAV
trends and technology will be amongst the focal points at the INTERGEO conference in Berlin
on October 7, 2014.
LIDAR Complex 1, 2, 3: UAVs search for
optimum locations for wind turbines. In a
research project sponsored by the German
Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology
(BMWI), scientists at the University of Stuttgart’s
Institute of Aircraft Design are investigating the
use of drones (UAVs) in the energy sector.
Source: University of Stuttgart
Surveyors use the Aibot X6 to quickly generate
highly accurate, extensive data that can be put
to many different uses. This photo shows a
section of river being measured as part of a
renaturalization project.
Source: Aibotix GmbH
Jan Denzel is a research assistant at the University of Stuttgart’s
Institute of Aircraft Design (IFB). He is part of the UAV research group
that developed a fully electric helicopter UAV some time ago as part of
a project funded by the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and
Research). The team investigated how a UAV of this kind can support
disaster management by helping with reconnaissance following major
incidents such as earthquakes or floods. “We developed the
electrically powered helicopter UAV with a high payload for this
particular deployment scenario,” says Denzel. The UAV developed by
the team is currently being used in a new research environment. In the
LIDAR complex project (http://www.unistuttgart.de/windenergie/lidarcomplex/) funded by the BMWi (Federal
Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy), scientists at the University
of Stuttgart are investigating how UAVs can be used to identify the
best possible locations for wind turbines. Once the UAV is in the air at
the site, the measuring equipment starts recording time-synchronised
and geo-referenced data.
Applications
While Denzel is involved in basic research, Jörg Lamprecht, Managing
Director of Aibotix GmbH (www.aibotix.de), has long been
manufacturing commercially successful UAVs. “UAVs are coming of
age,” he says, pointing out that these geo-mapping devices now carry
high-resolution digital single-lens reflex cameras, multispectral
cameras or laser scanners and supply highly accurate data that is
used in an increasing number of applications. In the agricultural
sector, for example, multispectral cameras ascertain the condition of
crops so that farmers can act quickly if necessary.
Host
DVW – German Society for
Geodesy, Geoinformation
and Land Management e.V.
With the aid of the Aibot X6, surveyors can
generate highly accurate data for producing
extremely precise, ultra-high definition
orthophotos, point clouds and 3D models. This
photo shows a 3D model of the UNESCO World
Heritage site Olympic Stadium at the
Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
Source: Aibotix GmbH
This airborne surveying equipment is also becoming established in the
energy industry and disaster management. “UVAs are taking over
wherever access is impossible for conventional surveying equipment,”
says Lamprecht. The surveying flights produce photos, videos,
orthophotos or digital 3D models. According to Lamprecht, Aibotix is
currently working on improving the workflow – from flight planning and
data acquisition all the way through to preparation of 3D models and
their integration in geoinformation systems.
Automating processes
Stephan Fick, a graduate engineer and Managing Director of divgmbh, gesellschaft für datenverarbeitung, informationssysteme und
vermessung (www.div-gmbh-drohne.de), believes this improvement is
essential. “Much of the workflow, from the actual flight to preparing
digital terrain models or orthophotos, is still not automated,” he says,
adding that there is still a big gap between the theory and reality of
UAV surveying.
Fick nonetheless uses UAVs in numerous jobs, even though a great
deal of manual work is still required to provide customers with the
products they want. On the positive side, he indicates that the results
of the surveying flights are often even better than promised by the
manufacturers.
There is plenty more scope for further UAV developments. The
“UAVs in practice” part of the conference programme on
Thursday, 7 October 2014 at INTERGEO 2014 in Berlin will look at
the state of the art, application trends and legal principles.
About INTERGEO
INTERGEO is the world’s leading trade fair for geodesy,
geoinformation and land management. A total of 16,383 visitors from
90 countries came to the previous communication platform to find out
about the innovations in the industry from 516 companies from 30
countries. More at http://www.intergeo.de
The 20th INTERGEO will take place from 7 to 9 October 2014 in Berlin.
DVW e.V. – German Society for Geodesy, Geoinformation and Land Management e.V. is the host of
INTERGEO.
YOUR PRESS CONTACT:
HINTE GmbH
Stefanie Wegers
Tel.: +49 (0)721/9 31 33-760
E-Mail: swegers@hinte-messe.de
Host
DVW – German Society for
Geodesy, Geoinformation
and Land Management e.V.