Global Vipassana Pagoda: Exterior Geometry Envelope Extraction Using UAV Photogrammetry

The Global Vipassana Pagoda is the largest meditation hall in the world, located near Gorai, north west of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Although the monument's artistic integrity is still somewhat intact, material degradation and structural deformations are observed. The visual inspections of such monuments are the primary and most important practice subject to both natural hazards and deterioration over time. Therefore, the geometry envelope, dimension, and size of the monument have to be monitored and digitally captured in order to evaluate this structural deformation. In this paper, in order to acquire Global Vipassana Pagoda monument’s efficient visual inspections and a 3D model of a historic masonry, advanced survey procedures UAV photogrammetry survey is used. But, due to its complex geometry and substantial dimensions, the exterior geometry envelope of the monument is difficult to generate. As a result, while conducting UAV surveys it's important to correctly design the flight plan, the photogrammetric parameters and the georeferencing configuration. The research aims to generate external geometry envelopes that serve as an input for an analyst to monitor the structural deformations of the monuments. The intended results were achieved after carrying out various trials of UAV surveys for Global Vipassana Pagoda monuments. Finally, the study enlists the factors and approach required to generate the external geometry envelope of complex monuments using UAV survey.