Application of UAV Technology in Mapping Part of University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom, Nigeria

The products of aerial photogrammetry, such as, topographic map, DTM, etc. , are usually acquired from very rigorous processes, expensive equipment, highly skilled personnel, longer period. This paper explores the application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology to solve the pitfalls associated with the traditional survey methods to generate improved terrestrial information, such as digital elevation models, orthophoto maps, etc. The UAV PHANTOM-4 equipped with a small format digital camera, Global Positioning System (GPS) and Inertial Navigation System (INS) was used to acquire digital aerial spatial information of part of University of Uyo Main Campus, in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. While Hi- Target V30 GNSS RTK System was used to acquire ground control points (GCPs) within the area, and supported with Goggle Earth Imagery. The UAV data was processed with AGISOFT Photoscan Pro Software. The compared results from the generated ortho-rectified imagery with their corresponding RTK acquired ground control points revealed rmse of 0.00603m (6mm) and 0.00290m (3mm) for the planimetric and vertical coordinates respectively. The accuracies of the results further showed that the UAV system was reliable for cadastral surveying, mapping and the process was cost effective.