New Possibilities of Field Data Survey in Forest Road Design

Field data, as the basis for planning and designing forest roads, must have high spatial accuracy. Classical (using a theodolite and a level) and modern (based on total stations and GNSSs) surveying methods are used in current field data survey for forest road design. This study analyzed the spatial...

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Main Authors: Mihael Lovrinčević, Ivica Papa, David Janeš, Luka Hodak, Tibor Pentek, Andreja Đuka
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Sensors
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/13/4192
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author Mihael Lovrinčević
Ivica Papa
David Janeš
Luka Hodak
Tibor Pentek
Andreja Đuka
author_facet Mihael Lovrinčević
Ivica Papa
David Janeš
Luka Hodak
Tibor Pentek
Andreja Đuka
author_sort Mihael Lovrinčević
collection DOAJ
description Field data, as the basis for planning and designing forest roads, must have high spatial accuracy. Classical (using a theodolite and a level) and modern (based on total stations and GNSSs) surveying methods are used in current field data survey for forest road design. This study analyzed the spatial accuracy of classical and modern surveying methods, the accuracy of spatial data recorded using a UAV equipped with an RGB camera at different flight altitudes, and the accuracy of lidar data of the Republic of Croatia. This study was conducted on a forest area where salvage logging was carried out, which enabled the use of a GNSS receiver in RTK mode as a reference method. The highest RMSE values of the spatial coordinates were recorded for measurements obtained with the classical surveying method (0.89 m) and a total station (0.33 m). The flight altitude of the UAV did not significantly affect the spatial error of the collected data, which ranged between 0.07 and 0.09 m. The cross-terrain slope, as one of the factors that significantly affect the amount of earthworks, did not differ statistically significantly between the methods. The ALS error was strongly influenced by the cross-terrain slope. The authors conclude that the new survey methods (SfM and lidar data) provide high-accuracy data but also draw attention to challenges in their use, such as vegetation and biomass on the ground.
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spelling doaj-art-2da980e34a1c4cf0ba97171bc97145fd2025-08-20T03:17:52ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202025-07-012513419210.3390/s25134192New Possibilities of Field Data Survey in Forest Road DesignMihael Lovrinčević0Ivica Papa1David Janeš2Luka Hodak3Tibor Pentek4Andreja Đuka5Department of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska Cesta 23, 10 000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska Cesta 23, 10 000 Zagreb, CroatiaCroatian Forests Ltd., Forest Administration Office Delnice, Supilova 32, 51300 Delnice, CroatiaDepartment of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska Cesta 23, 10 000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska Cesta 23, 10 000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska Cesta 23, 10 000 Zagreb, CroatiaField data, as the basis for planning and designing forest roads, must have high spatial accuracy. Classical (using a theodolite and a level) and modern (based on total stations and GNSSs) surveying methods are used in current field data survey for forest road design. This study analyzed the spatial accuracy of classical and modern surveying methods, the accuracy of spatial data recorded using a UAV equipped with an RGB camera at different flight altitudes, and the accuracy of lidar data of the Republic of Croatia. This study was conducted on a forest area where salvage logging was carried out, which enabled the use of a GNSS receiver in RTK mode as a reference method. The highest RMSE values of the spatial coordinates were recorded for measurements obtained with the classical surveying method (0.89 m) and a total station (0.33 m). The flight altitude of the UAV did not significantly affect the spatial error of the collected data, which ranged between 0.07 and 0.09 m. The cross-terrain slope, as one of the factors that significantly affect the amount of earthworks, did not differ statistically significantly between the methods. The ALS error was strongly influenced by the cross-terrain slope. The authors conclude that the new survey methods (SfM and lidar data) provide high-accuracy data but also draw attention to challenges in their use, such as vegetation and biomass on the ground.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/13/4192theodolitetotal stationGNSSUAVphotogrammetrylidar
spellingShingle Mihael Lovrinčević
Ivica Papa
David Janeš
Luka Hodak
Tibor Pentek
Andreja Đuka
New Possibilities of Field Data Survey in Forest Road Design
Sensors
theodolite
total station
GNSS
UAV
photogrammetry
lidar
title New Possibilities of Field Data Survey in Forest Road Design
title_full New Possibilities of Field Data Survey in Forest Road Design
title_fullStr New Possibilities of Field Data Survey in Forest Road Design
title_full_unstemmed New Possibilities of Field Data Survey in Forest Road Design
title_short New Possibilities of Field Data Survey in Forest Road Design
title_sort new possibilities of field data survey in forest road design
topic theodolite
total station
GNSS
UAV
photogrammetry
lidar
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/13/4192
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