Utilizing Drones to Determine Detention Basin Capacity

Level of Education of Students Involved

Undergraduate

Faculty Sponsor

Jay Grossman

College

Engineering

Discipline(s)

Civil Engineering

ORCID Identifier(s)

0000-0001-5360-3516

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Symposium Date

Spring 2024

Abstract

The object of this study is to compare the capabilities of a relatively low budget drone to the effectiveness of traditional topographic surveying methods when determining the as-built elevations of a detention basin. Topographic surveying is a well established process to determine horizontal distances, directions, angles, and elevations of a site utilizing either total stations or high-accuracy GPS systems. However, as new technology emerges, typical methods of land surveying are being revisited. For example, a drone can easily fly over a site and collect a number of stereo referenced images in a short amount of time. These images can be processed by advanced, commercial software (such as Correlator 3D) to create a 3D surface model of a site. This study aims to determine if a $1000-2000 commercial drone, such as a DJI Air 2S or DJI Air 3, can be used to map drainage basins to the same degree of accuracy as more traditional topographic surveying. If so, site surveying could be streamlined by simply flying a drone over the site for less than half an hour, rather than using traditional methods for multiple hours. In addition, the drone process offers a visual depiction of the site which can easily be shared with clients, cities, and other users.

Biographical Information about Author(s)

Allison Yohanan is a senior civil engineering student with minors in environmental engineering and Spanish at Valparaiso University. She is actively involved in a number of campus organizations including: Working Across Vocations Everywhere through Service (WAVES), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). Yohanan is also involved in independent research including drone surveying - which is covered by this poster presentation - and stormwater conveyance capacity.

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