Comparative Analysis of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Used in Photogrammetric Surveys

ABSTRACT: There are many manufacturers on the market offering various types of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). The multitude of drones available on the market means that the choice of a UAV for a specific application appears to be a decision problem to be solved. The aim of this article is a comparative analysis of drones used in photogrammetric surveys. The criteria for evaluating the UAVs were: availability and product support, payload (min. 5 kg), price (PLN 100,000), as well as space available for measurement modules. These are the requirements that must be met for the implementation of the INNOBAT project, the aim of which is to develop an integrated system using autonomous unmanned aerial and surface vehicles, intended for bathymetric monitoring in the coastal zone. The comparative analysis of drones was based on 27 companies producing UAV. Based on the analysis, 6 drones that met the project requirements were selected. They were: Aurelia X6 Pro, Aurelia X8 Standard LE, DroneHexa AG, FOX-C8 XT, Hercules 10 and Zoe X4. Selected UAVs differ from each other, among others, in the number of rotors, flight duration and resistance to weather conditions. Individual characteristics of drones may have a different rank depending on their application, therefore the selection of UAVs should be made after prioritisation criteria of a given project.

KEYWORDS: Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Hydrography, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Inertial Navigation System (INS), Drone, Unmanned Vehicles (UVs), LiDAR, Photogrammetry

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Citation note:

Specht M., Widźgowski S., Stateczny A., Specht C., Specht O.: Comparative Analysis of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Used in Photogrammetric Surveys. TransNav, the International Journal on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation, Vol. 17, No. 2, doi:10.12716/1001.17.02.21, pp. 433-443, 2023

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