ABSTRACT
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) represents an innovative remote sensing technique for surveying of large or difficult-to-access areas in less time compared to other popular methods. This paper presents a cost-effective approach to very high resolution geomorphological and landscape mapping of Bolata Cove, northern Bulgarian coast. The orthophoto imagery was acquired with a DJI Phantom 4 Pro Quadcopter. The survey accuracy was guaranteed by ground control points measured with GNSS HyTarget geodetic receivers via NRTK, as well as by seabed control points registered with a single-beam echosounder. The imagery postprocessing involved a 3D model derivation using the structure-from-motion principles. Ready-to-interpret UAV products were a digital surface model and an orthophoto mosaic with a 3 cm cell size. The aforementioned products were applied in the subsequent GIS-aided geomorphological and landscape analysis aimed at the identification of land/bedforms and corresponding ecotopes of nature conservation interest. The method discussed has demonstrated a strong potential for wider implementation in coastal geomorpological and landscape-ecological research thanks to the very high resolution of the UAV-acquired data.
