Reconstruction of a digital elevation model in a lab-scale urban drainage facility applying LiDAR and SfM techniques

Paper presented at 2nd IAHR Young Professionals Congress

Abstract:

The use of visualization techniques for obtaining elevation maps with simple and relatively low-cost procedures, apart from conventional topographic methods, is widespread. In the field of urban drainage systems, numerical models require greater grid detail to solve complex hydraulic problems. This study presents the use of Structure from Motion (SfM) and Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) techniques to obtain the roof and pavement elevations of an urban drainage experimental module. The digital reconstructions obtained are both satisfactory, in terms of the detail of the elements, and similar between each other, with a mean vertical error for both surfaces less than 2 mm. The main discrepancies between both procedures lie in collecting and processing point clouds and meshes.