The Adaptive Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in Aerial Photography for Urban Design: A Case Study of Mahasarakham University, Khamreing Campus

Abstract

Aerial photography is an important information technology for urban design, as seen in the use of open-source data such as Google Map, Bing Map, or any aerial satellite images. Yet, these data have their limitations, because frequently they are not up to date, and the image resolution is often inadequate. It is also costly.

This study tries to find an alternative way to produce aerial photography for urban design purposes.  The use of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is proposed as an effective tool that helps urban designers understand an urban context and environment in depth. The process of producing aerial photography by using low cost UAV with small format aerial photography is described through the case study of Mahasarakham University, Khamreiang Campus. The result is a high-resolution aerial image covering an area of about 4 square kilometer. The paper concludes by discussing whether the use of UAV could be an important tool for urban design and related fields, and whether it can be extended towards further research on information geographical system.