Using UAV for environment management

It is a matter of perception as to how an equipment should be handled. We know, unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) can be used as remote control for weapons. As Bangladesh aims at its digitisation, there is a great scope for use of state-of-the-art technology in all fields backed by regular research. Alongside multifaceted utility, UAVs can be successfully used in the cherished mission to attain middle income status by 2021, the 50th anniversary of the country's independence. The government has taken various initiatives to achieve the middle income status, like major urban planning, construction of roads and mega bridges.

 Improvement of rural and urban roads and bridges delivers multifaceted benefits in the form of reduced traveling time, improved traffic safety and reduced emissions. When transport systems are efficient, they provide economic and social opportunities and benefits such as better accessibility to markets, employment and additional investments. UAVs can be successfully used to obtain useful information required to translate the development strategies into reality and guide  the country to fulfil its development objectives. The present government prioritized urban planning by developing roads and bridges infrastructures through widening of major highways to ease traffic congestion and improve the environmental situation. For infrastructure planning, alignment and land acquisition, companies engaged in the job need to obtain reliable and high precision data from the ground to develop their designs. With fast response times and tight cost, these companies require an effective, rapid and accurate solution. This is another area where UAVs can be gainfully utilised. Presently for infrastructure planning government normally depends on physical features survey using total station or plan table survey. As these types of surveys are time consuming, the government can use UAVs photomaps for mapping purposes. UAVs bring a whole new level to what is possible when capturing data and imagery, opening up a diverse range of mapping and surveying possibilities. The UAV platform can take off from almost anywhere. One of the most popular products of UAVs is elevation modelling, which is just one really powerful application of UAV surveys. The data captured by using a UAV mounted camera can produce 3D models and maps that create a useful tool for communicating information about the place.

As Bangladesh is vulnerable to natural disasters, it frequently requires emergency mapping for a quick response to save lives and property. UAV's survey data would be most useful for disaster prevention and mitigation. UAV-derived data can be used to perform terrain-based hydrological analyses, e.g., one can use high resolution elevation data to assess water flow direction and accumulation. UAVs can be ideal for flood and catchment management purposes. Another popular application is the modelling of river channels, often with the purpose of creating detailed cross sections of the river banks. Remote aerial surveys can also carry out flood mapping and damage assessment using GIS and remote sensing techniques.

The writer is GIS and Remote Sensing Analyst, ICIMOD Nepal.

kabir.uddin.bd@gmail.com