Heritage preservation using aerial imagery from light weight low cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

Many archeological sites have been destroyed totally or partially around the globe due to earth quakes, floods and/or fire. It is the need of time to digitally preserve the historical sites before they get destroyed. It is difficult to obtain data using conventional methods due to difficulty in accessing the historical sites because of their location and neighborhood. Recent innovations in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) have enabled to remote sense and acquire data using aerial imagery. In this research photogrammetry is used to develop highly accurate photo realistic 3D models. This method contributes in terms of quality, time and investment to acquire data compared to other methods which demand more time and investment. The automated flight stability and altitude control of the UAS and the fully stabilized and calibrated RGB sensor helps deliver high quality data to provide reliable results. Using aerial data acquired from a low cost and light weight Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) equipped with high resolution RGB sensor and image processing using photogrammetry tools highly accurate 3D model is formed. The main goals of this study were to conduct survey of a historical site in Pakistan utilizing advanced robotics and photogrammetry stitching techniques to investigate the potential of UAV in producing geo-referenced 3D reconstruction. The study is carried out to achieve an accuracy of within 5cm/pixel of the 3D model. The digitally preserved 3D models will help to maintain and reconstruct and historical site in case of any damage. The 3D model produced can be quickly produced for inventory, architectural and facility management system.