High resolution UAV image acquisition method and modeling practice for geological outcrop with a large slope

The observation on the outcrop in the field is one of the most direct and efficient methods to obtain the underground formation information, which provides the most direct first-hand geological data for geological science research. However, the traditional outcrop investigation, especially for the outcrop with a large slope and unreachable area, mainly relies on the inspection, measurement of the slope bottom, and photos to record outcrop information, making it difficult to accurately characterize the whole geological body. Consumer unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs) with the advantages of good mobility, strong adaptability and low cost, can obtain outcrop images from a short distance, multiple perspectives and varying heights. In this paper, the image acquisition method and model construction accuracy without control points available for the geological outcrop with a large slope are discussed. Consumer UAVs is used to capture images through vertical route and then the geological model is set up. The results show that oblique photogrammetry technology combined with consumer UAVs can effectively build a large slope geological outcrop model with millimeter resolution. The model has the characteristics of high resolution, uniform resolution and high measurement accuracy up to millimeter, which can effectively reduce the difficulty of field investigation and the personnel safety risk, thus it accurately reproduces the outcrop situation with large slope in the field, providing a real and reliable data basis for the section interpretation, analysis and measurement of large slope outcrop.