Coincident beach surveys using UAS, vehicle mounted and airborne laser scanner: Point cloud inter-comparison and effects of surface type heterogeneity on elevation accuracies

摘要

Reliable and consistent topographic data is key to a multitude of environmental manangement and research applications. Unmanned Aerial Systems WAS) are fast establishing themselves as a promising additional remote sensing platform that provides high spatial resolution not only of topography but also surface types and coastal features together with comparatively low costs and high deployment flexibility. However, comprehensive information on the accuracy of UAS-based elevation models in comparison to other available surveying methodology is regulary limited to be referenced to individual methods. This paper addresses this shortcoming by comparing coincident beach surveys of three different point cloud generating methods: ATV mounted mobile laser scan (MLS), airborne LiDAR (ALS), and UAS. This was complemented by two RTK-GPS surveys on a pole with wheel attachment and mounted on an ATV.