Applications of UVs in Digital Photogrammetry and Image Processing

Dear Colleagues,

Uncrewed aerial, ground or waterborne vehicles equipped with a high-resolution optical camera or other sensor are increasingly used to collect high-resolution data for a specific area or object. UV-based photogrammetry has revolutionized the field of short-range applications by combining aerial and ground photogrammetric techniques, and it serves as a valuable supplement to traditional aerial photogrammetry methods, effectively addressing the limitations of conventional surveying and mapping practices. The technique involves arranging image control points in the survey area using GPS technology and conducting digital photogrammetry operations on a computer workstation to extract geographical information data. Based on images obtained from proximity UV enables the generation of dense point clouds, high-resolution digital terrain or surface models, and true-orthophotos. The mobility and flexibility of UV photogrammetry enables it to quickly generate high-resolution images for objects, small areas and challenging terrains. Moreover, it offers a range of advantages such as high precision, low operating costs, wide applicability, and short production cycles. With advancements in drone and digital camera technologies, the digital photography approach, based on UV platforms, showcases its distinctive strengths.

For this Special Issue of Drones, we welcome authors to submit papers related to UV photogrammetry. The selection of papers for publication will depend on the quality and rigor of research. Specific topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Uncrewed vehicles (UVs);
• Photogrammetry;
• Digital mapping;
• Cartography;
• GIS.

Dr. David R. Green
Dr. Cristina Gómez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Drones is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• uncrewed vehicles (UVs)
• photogrammetry
• digital mapping
• cartography
• GIS