Golden Pipeline Drone Mapping using a PPK drone

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Clancy Lagan-Brown 

 

When mapping large areas, such as the Kalgoorlie pipeline, the most efficient and effective way to do so can be using modern drone technology. In the field of mapping, drone imagery can sometimes prove to be the only way to accurately map large plots of land on a three-dimensional plane. However, standard drone surveys are limited by their reliance on accurate reference marks on the ground to be able to position other points.

 

When mapping large areas, the advantages that drones provide in their efficiency quickly diminishes as the area that is required to be mapped increases. To overcome this issue, some modern drones such as the WingtraOne drone, have been fitted with Post-Processed Kinematic (PPK) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. By doing so, a single drone can accurately map large areas without complex ground control networks. This would allow any area to be mapped efficiently by simple image capture without the added man hours and work required to set out a terrestrial Ground Control Point (GCP) network.

 

To assess the accuracy of the PPK GNSS drone survey when compared with a standard drone survey method, a network of GCPs and Check Points (CPs) were set out along a portion of the Kalgoorlie Pipeline. The WingtraOne drone was then flown along cross sections of the pipeline, capturing images down the pipeline. This set of images were used in both drone data processing methods.