Drones on the rise: Introduction to UAV imagery collection and processing

By: Sedric Suringa

The 7th installment of Spatial Technologies for Advancing Research Techniques (START) technical colloquium-workshop was conducted last November 4, 2019. The invited speakers were Mr. Leonard Soriano, GIS specialist, and Mr. Adrian Gongona, CAAP Certified/Licensed RPA Controller. The event was organized by the Geography Department’s Physical Geography and Geographic Information Systems and Techniques (GIST) research groups and Geog 190 (Map and Air Photo Interpretation) students. 

The session started by defining all the necessary terms and concepts concerning the field of drone mapping. Mr. Soriano discussed the basic information regarding drones such as its parts, features, and components. He also tackled its brief history and future innovations. The highlight of his talk is when he conversed about drones’ applications and advantages in the field of mapping. He mentioned his past experiences in drone mapping which mainly focused on community engagements in Lupang Arenda and Arroceros Forest Park. 

Mr. Soriano discussing to the participants the essential information about drones. Photo by Levin Daran.

The second part of the session was the field application of all the information discussed by Mr. Soriano. The audience together with the Geog 190 class went to the Sunken Garden to collect images that will be used for the processing session. This time, Mr. Gongona facilitated the exercise. He showed the students how to use the software Pix4D; a professional photogrammetry and drone mapping program. Mr. Gogona also discussed the detailed steps of flight planning and its importance.

Mr. Gongona showing the participants how to properly control and fly the drone. Photo by Levin Daran.

Back in lab, the last part of the talk was all about image processing using the open-source software OpenAerialMap. In this site, one could search for the aerial images of Lupang Arenda and Arroceros Forest Park, which were all taken and post-processed by Mr. Leonard Soriano, himself. These were used as samples that attendees can practice on after the workshop.

In general, the session was fruitful and fun it gave students and the audience basic background on drone mapping, especially now that the use of drones in the field is on the rise. It should also serve as a reminder that we should engage in discussions that will analyze new methodologies of mapping.