A review of UAV integration in forensic civil engineering: From sensor technologies to geotechnical, structural and water infrastructure applications

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) mounted with remote sensors have been widely used in architectural, civil, and environmental engineering fields. In particular, UAVs are applied for monitoring civil infrastructure to analyze the cause of failure in forensic engineering. This paper reviews UAV sensors and their applications in the context of forensic engineering. First, RGB, non-RGB cameras (e.g., IR thermal, multispectral, and hyperspectral detectors), and non-imaging sensors (e.g., LiDAR and SAR) are categorized by their emission methods. The advantages and disadvantages of sensors with different wavelengths, such as penetration capability and resolution, are described. Thereafter, application cases are individually presented in the geotechnical, structural, and water infrastructure fields. Different failures in each field are described: geotechnical engineering (slope failure, ground deformation), structural engineering (the stability, durability of infrastructure), water infrastructure engineering (harmful algal blooms, oil spill). Finally, the challenges of current UAV technology and recom-mendations for further study in forensic engineering are addressed.

Automated summary

This paper reviews the categorization and applications of UAV sensors in forensic engineering, with a focus on geotechnical, structural, and water infrastructure fields. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of sensors with different wavelengths and addresses the challenges of current UAV technology and recommendations for further research in forensic engineering.