Application of unmanned aerial vehicles on transport infrastructure network

Abstract

Frequent abrupt climate changes have been increasingly causing landslides on the transport infrastructure network. Traditional mapping methods, and methods for determining the volume, cross-sections, contours and other parameters needed in the rockfall engineering analysis, can be modified, improved, and even completely replaced, by means of unmanned aerial vehicles. The possibility of using drones for evaluating condition of the transport infrastructure network, with an emphasis on their advantages and disadvantages, is explored. The legislation and research initiatives for the use of drones are presented.