Aplicaciones geológicas de los drones

Resumen

Emerging Geomatic technologies for the capture, processing and display of three-dimensional data are of great interest in the field of geology, because of the need to analyze information and parameters contained in outcrops and landforms. The integration of these technologies such as airborne laser, multispectral cameras or other geophysical devices in drones, provides a useful tool especially in remote, inaccessible or highly vegetated areas. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can reduce the accessibility problems, tedious and complex time-consuming data acquisition and processing, as well as enables a reduction of field campaign costs in comparison with traditional geological surveys. This paper discusses various aircraft devices and their capabilities, useful for different aerial works, dealing with some interesting issues related to the current Spanish regulations, flight planning and applications for scientific and education purposes in the field of geology. The emergence of low cost aircrafts drives the development of detailed and high resolution works, being of special scientific and educational interest. In addition, the three-dimensional models facilitate the dissemination of results to the general public and can be included as part of the content of Geoparks and other activities oriented to geotourism.