UAV-Based Survey of the Earth Pyramids at the Kuklica Geosite (North Macedonia)
This paper presents methods for a UAV-based survey of the site “Kuklica” near Kratovo, North Macedonia. Kuklica is a rare natural complex with earth pyramids, and because of its exceptional scientific, educational, touristic, and cultural significance, it was proclaimed to be a Natural Monument in 2...
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2024-12-01
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| author | Ivica Milevski Bojana Aleksova Slavoljub Dragićević |
| author_facet | Ivica Milevski Bojana Aleksova Slavoljub Dragićević |
| author_sort | Ivica Milevski |
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| description | This paper presents methods for a UAV-based survey of the site “Kuklica” near Kratovo, North Macedonia. Kuklica is a rare natural complex with earth pyramids, and because of its exceptional scientific, educational, touristic, and cultural significance, it was proclaimed to be a Natural Monument in 2008. However, after the proclamation, the interest in visiting this site and the threats in terms of its potential degradation rapidly grew, increasing the need for a detailed survey of the site and monitoring. Given the site’s small size (0.5 km<sup>2</sup>), the freely available satellite images and digital elevation models are not suitable for comprehensive analysis and monitoring of the site, especially in terms of the individual forms within the site. Instead, new tools are increasingly being used for such tasks, including UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). Since professional LiDAR is very expensive and still not readily available, we used a low-cost UAV (DJI Mini 4 Pro) to carry out a detailed survey. First, the flight path, the altitude of the UAV, the camera angle, and the photo recording intervals were precisely planned and defined. Also, the ground markers (checkpoints) were carefully selected. Then, the photos taken by the drone were aligned and processed using Agisoft Metashape software (v. 2.1.4), producing a digital elevation model and orthophoto imagery with a very high (sub-decimeter) resolution. Following this procedure, more than 140 earth pyramids were delineated, ranging in height from 1 to 2 m and to 30 m at their highest. At this stage, a very accurate UAV-based 3D model of the most remarkable earth pyramids was developed (the accuracy was checked using the iPhone 14 Pro LiDAR module), and their morphometrical properties were calculated. Also, the site’s erosion rate and flash flood potential were calculated, showing high susceptibility to both. The final goal was to monitor the changes and to minimize the degradation of the unique landscape, thus better protecting the geosite and its value. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6a81422789ac4f6388a21d8986b81749 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2571-9408 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heritage |
| spelling | doaj-art-6a81422789ac4f6388a21d8986b817492025-01-24T13:34:17ZengMDPI AGHeritage2571-94082024-12-0181610.3390/heritage8010006UAV-Based Survey of the Earth Pyramids at the Kuklica Geosite (North Macedonia)Ivica Milevski0Bojana Aleksova1Slavoljub Dragićević2Institute of Geography, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Ss. Cyril and Methodious University, Arhimedova, 1000 Skopje, North MacedoniaDepartment of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, SerbiaFaculty of Geography, University of Belgrade, Studentski Trg 3/III, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaThis paper presents methods for a UAV-based survey of the site “Kuklica” near Kratovo, North Macedonia. Kuklica is a rare natural complex with earth pyramids, and because of its exceptional scientific, educational, touristic, and cultural significance, it was proclaimed to be a Natural Monument in 2008. However, after the proclamation, the interest in visiting this site and the threats in terms of its potential degradation rapidly grew, increasing the need for a detailed survey of the site and monitoring. Given the site’s small size (0.5 km<sup>2</sup>), the freely available satellite images and digital elevation models are not suitable for comprehensive analysis and monitoring of the site, especially in terms of the individual forms within the site. Instead, new tools are increasingly being used for such tasks, including UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). Since professional LiDAR is very expensive and still not readily available, we used a low-cost UAV (DJI Mini 4 Pro) to carry out a detailed survey. First, the flight path, the altitude of the UAV, the camera angle, and the photo recording intervals were precisely planned and defined. Also, the ground markers (checkpoints) were carefully selected. Then, the photos taken by the drone were aligned and processed using Agisoft Metashape software (v. 2.1.4), producing a digital elevation model and orthophoto imagery with a very high (sub-decimeter) resolution. Following this procedure, more than 140 earth pyramids were delineated, ranging in height from 1 to 2 m and to 30 m at their highest. At this stage, a very accurate UAV-based 3D model of the most remarkable earth pyramids was developed (the accuracy was checked using the iPhone 14 Pro LiDAR module), and their morphometrical properties were calculated. Also, the site’s erosion rate and flash flood potential were calculated, showing high susceptibility to both. The final goal was to monitor the changes and to minimize the degradation of the unique landscape, thus better protecting the geosite and its value.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/8/1/6drone surveygeositeGISremote sensingorthophotoerosion |
| spellingShingle | Ivica Milevski Bojana Aleksova Slavoljub Dragićević UAV-Based Survey of the Earth Pyramids at the Kuklica Geosite (North Macedonia) Heritage drone survey geosite GIS remote sensing orthophoto erosion |
| title | UAV-Based Survey of the Earth Pyramids at the Kuklica Geosite (North Macedonia) |
| title_full | UAV-Based Survey of the Earth Pyramids at the Kuklica Geosite (North Macedonia) |
| title_fullStr | UAV-Based Survey of the Earth Pyramids at the Kuklica Geosite (North Macedonia) |
| title_full_unstemmed | UAV-Based Survey of the Earth Pyramids at the Kuklica Geosite (North Macedonia) |
| title_short | UAV-Based Survey of the Earth Pyramids at the Kuklica Geosite (North Macedonia) |
| title_sort | uav based survey of the earth pyramids at the kuklica geosite north macedonia |
| topic | drone survey geosite GIS remote sensing orthophoto erosion |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/8/1/6 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ivicamilevski uavbasedsurveyoftheearthpyramidsatthekuklicageositenorthmacedonia AT bojanaaleksova uavbasedsurveyoftheearthpyramidsatthekuklicageositenorthmacedonia AT slavoljubdragicevic uavbasedsurveyoftheearthpyramidsatthekuklicageositenorthmacedonia |