TOPOGRAPHIC MAPPING OF THE INTERTIDAL ZONE USING UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES

Intertidal zone is not only an important marine ecosystem but also serves as a buffer zone to minimize the impact of natural disasters such as storms and coastal erosion on the interior land. To study the intertidal zone, the topographic map of the intertidal zone is of great importance. However, with the specific geographical location, the establishment of topographic maps of intertidal zone is very difficult if applying traditional surveying methods. Unmanned aerial vehicle with low flight altitude, flexible flight ability can overcome the limitations of traditional measurement methods in making the intertidal topographic map. In this paper, we present the approach of using unmanned aerial vehicle in intertidal topographic mapping. Our method focuses on selecting the optimal timing for flight to determine the extent and topography of the intertidal zone. The orientation element of the image is determined by satellite positioning technology combined with the IMU system in order to overcome the limitation of the ground control arrangement in intertidal zone. We then evaluated the results of the intertidal topographic mapping using drone technology.