Combining UAV Photogrammetry and TLS for Change Detection on Slovenian Coastal Cliffs

This article examines the combined use of UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) photogrammetry and TLS (Terrestrial Laser Scanning) to detect changes in coastal cliffs in the Strunjan Nature Reserve. Coastal cliffs present unique surveying challenges, including limited access, unstable reference points due...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Klemen Kregar, Klemen Kozmus Trajkovski
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Drones
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/9/4/228
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850183215531163648
author Klemen Kregar
Klemen Kozmus Trajkovski
author_facet Klemen Kregar
Klemen Kozmus Trajkovski
author_sort Klemen Kregar
collection DOAJ
description This article examines the combined use of UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) photogrammetry and TLS (Terrestrial Laser Scanning) to detect changes in coastal cliffs in the Strunjan Nature Reserve. Coastal cliffs present unique surveying challenges, including limited access, unstable reference points due to erosion, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signal obstruction, dense vegetation, private property restrictions and weak mobile data. To overcome these limitations, UAV and TLS techniques are used with the help of GNSS and TPS (Total Positioning Station) surveying to establish a network of GCPs (Ground Control Points) for georeferencing. The methodology includes several epochs of data collection between 2019 and 2024, using a DJI Phantom 4 RTK for UAV surveys and a Riegl VZ-400 scanner for TLS. The data processing includes point cloud filtering, mesh comparison and a DoD (DEM of difference) analysis to quantify cliff surface changes. This study addresses the effects of vegetation by focusing on vegetation-free regions of interest distributed across the cliff face. The results aim to demonstrate the effectiveness and limitations of both methods for detecting and monitoring cliff erosion and provide valuable insights for coastal management and risk assessment.
format Article
id doaj-art-c23e1b1db7004d69b18dec4abf6d627c
institution OA Journals
issn 2504-446X
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Drones
spelling doaj-art-c23e1b1db7004d69b18dec4abf6d627c2025-08-20T02:17:25ZengMDPI AGDrones2504-446X2025-03-019422810.3390/drones9040228Combining UAV Photogrammetry and TLS for Change Detection on Slovenian Coastal CliffsKlemen Kregar0Klemen Kozmus Trajkovski1Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Jamova 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, SloveniaFaculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Jamova 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, SloveniaThis article examines the combined use of UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) photogrammetry and TLS (Terrestrial Laser Scanning) to detect changes in coastal cliffs in the Strunjan Nature Reserve. Coastal cliffs present unique surveying challenges, including limited access, unstable reference points due to erosion, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signal obstruction, dense vegetation, private property restrictions and weak mobile data. To overcome these limitations, UAV and TLS techniques are used with the help of GNSS and TPS (Total Positioning Station) surveying to establish a network of GCPs (Ground Control Points) for georeferencing. The methodology includes several epochs of data collection between 2019 and 2024, using a DJI Phantom 4 RTK for UAV surveys and a Riegl VZ-400 scanner for TLS. The data processing includes point cloud filtering, mesh comparison and a DoD (DEM of difference) analysis to quantify cliff surface changes. This study addresses the effects of vegetation by focusing on vegetation-free regions of interest distributed across the cliff face. The results aim to demonstrate the effectiveness and limitations of both methods for detecting and monitoring cliff erosion and provide valuable insights for coastal management and risk assessment.https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/9/4/228UAV photogrammetryTLSGCPcliffsmesh comparisonDEM of difference
spellingShingle Klemen Kregar
Klemen Kozmus Trajkovski
Combining UAV Photogrammetry and TLS for Change Detection on Slovenian Coastal Cliffs
Drones
UAV photogrammetry
TLS
GCP
cliffs
mesh comparison
DEM of difference
title Combining UAV Photogrammetry and TLS for Change Detection on Slovenian Coastal Cliffs
title_full Combining UAV Photogrammetry and TLS for Change Detection on Slovenian Coastal Cliffs
title_fullStr Combining UAV Photogrammetry and TLS for Change Detection on Slovenian Coastal Cliffs
title_full_unstemmed Combining UAV Photogrammetry and TLS for Change Detection on Slovenian Coastal Cliffs
title_short Combining UAV Photogrammetry and TLS for Change Detection on Slovenian Coastal Cliffs
title_sort combining uav photogrammetry and tls for change detection on slovenian coastal cliffs
topic UAV photogrammetry
TLS
GCP
cliffs
mesh comparison
DEM of difference
url https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/9/4/228
work_keys_str_mv AT klemenkregar combininguavphotogrammetryandtlsforchangedetectiononsloveniancoastalcliffs
AT klemenkozmustrajkovski combininguavphotogrammetryandtlsforchangedetectiononsloveniancoastalcliffs