EAE4065 - Drones and digital mapping in earth science - 2019

This unit will provide post-graduate students with an overview of how drones (unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs), photogrammetry and digital mapping tools are being applied in the Earth Sciences. The unit will be taught as a series of hands-on workshops and projects. Workshops and associated projects will cover UAV operations, survey design, sensor technology, 3D photogrammetric model calculations using structure from motion software, data extraction from point clouds and ortho-images, and digital mapping. Student projects will be designed to prepare students for use of UAVs for applications in geology, geophysics and environmental Earth Science. Students will develop skills in data acquisition, synthesis, and analysis, geological and environmental interpretation, critical and lateral thinking using diverse digital image data.

On completion of this unit students will be able to:

1. Ability to work in a team environment
2. Oral presentation skills.
3. Geoscience and environmental reporting skills.
4. Ability to integrate multiple large datasets to synthesise and interpret geological and environmental information.

Acquisition of UAV survey and digital mapping data, generation of a geometrically and geographically referenced photogrammetric model: 25%

Photogrammetric modelling, analysis of 3D point cloud and orthoimagery, and digital mapping: 35%

Final report and presentation: 40%

• One 3-hour workshop per week consisting of lectures and presentations
• Nine hours of independent study per week

See also Unit timetable information

Masters of Science (Earth Science)