UAV Technology Versus PNG’s Conventional Surveying Methods in Cadastral Survey Applications

Abstract

Surveyors in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are challenged by the country’s difficult terrain which forces them to look for innovative ideas and emerging high-in-the-sky technologies that could reduce the field exposure time while upholding the accuracy specified for such surveys. One of those emerging survey technologies that a handful of surveyors are using in PNG is the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), commonly known as Drone. This study was specifically carried out with its objectives set to assess the accuracy and efficiency of UAV against total station (TS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to find out if UAV can meet the cadastral survey specifications set as standards for such surveys in PNG grounds. Based on the results obtained from the research, it was concluded that UAVs, with proper high-definition (HD) cameras/sensors, and enough lighting at a reasonably lower height with associated lower ground sampling distance (GSD) and proper coordination of ground control points (GCPs) can deliver accurate cadastral survey data to sub-centimeter or even to millimeter level. UAV not only meet the country’s cadastral survey requirements but is also an efficient equipment that reduces field exposure or data collection time to a fraction of an hour, reduces field surveyors down to 1 or 2, and thus, reduces redundant costs and labor associated with TS and GNSS receiver which are PNG’s conventional survey methods.