Surveying of Open Pit Mine Using Low-Cost Aerial Photogrammetry

For the geodetic survey of the terrain surface, the use of conventional surveying methods and instruments is common. New technologies, such as e.g. UAVs and their combination with a digital camera, bring new opportunities also in the documentation of Earth's surface. This combination of technologies allows the low-cost digital photogrammetry use to document the Earth's surface in relation to mining activities. The aim of the research presented in this paper is to analyse the accuracy of the digital elevation model obtained using low-cost UAV photogrammetry. The surface mine Jastraba (Slovakia) was chosen as the test area. The mine has morphologically dissected surface and is thus suitable for verifying the use of UAV photogrammetry to capture fairly intricate details on the surface. The use of UAV in a photogrammetric survey of the mine brings new opportunities for the creation of documentation because with this technology we can measure the entire surface in detail, create orthophoto maps of the entire area and document inaccessible parts of the area such as sludge dumps, steep slopes, etc.