The two students, Lukas Fösges and Marc Retterath, wanted to choose a topic with practical relevance for their bachelor’s thesis in the summer of 2020. The two were enrolled in the combined degree program in Geoinformatics and Surveying; during the summer break, they completed their internship at the Service Center for Rural Areas (DLR) Mosel. They decided to compare modern technologies that can be used to support the planning of complex land consolidation projects in the steep vineyards of the Moselle.
Land consolidation involves redistributing agricultural and forestry land in a region to create more efficient usable areas and counteract the fragmentation of land ownership.
The students examined the available planning data. They generated additional information using a camera-equipped UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) flight, which they adapted to the selected test area in Bernkastel-Kues. Denise Becker and Sven Kaulfersch, staff members at Mainz University of Applied Sciences and the Research Institute for Spatial Information and Measurement Technology (i3mainz), assisted the students in conducting the measurements using the drone. Both hold the drone proficiency certificate and are experienced UAV pilots. The students planned the imaging flight and laid out the control points required for georeferencing the images. The drone was manually raised to the predetermined flight altitude, after which the automated imaging flight proceeded along predefined waypoints.
Using the“Structure from Motion” algorithm, Marc Retterath and Lukas Fösges processed the unstructured UAV imagery into a textured 3D model, which they then further processed into elevation models and orthophotos .
A comparison of the various planning bases revealed that those from the surveying and cadastral administration play an important role. However, the UAV flight provided only minimal added value, which was disproportionate to the high costs it incurred. Therefore, the students concluded that the use of drones for land consolidation procedures is not recommended for this specific test area in the near future.
