DRONESTAB

What is DRONESTAB

DRONESTAB project purpose a novel and smart Decision Support Tool (DST), strongly scientific-based, easily understandable and low-cost deployable that enables monitoring the stability of earth/rock slopes and embankments on road and railway’s networks.

HOW DOES IT WORKS?

The solution DRONESTAB uses as a data acquisition system an optimised aerial-photogrammetry module, composed by an unmanned aerial vehicle with a high-definition camera built-in. Then, data collected will be processed and analysed by means of a high-sophisticated software composed by three algorithmic’ groups, including a Machine Learning algorithmic. This complex informatics basis will allow DRONESTAB be capable of automatically providing information on the current state of any road or railway slope/embankment through the developing of risks indicators.

HOW IT IS COMPOSED?

DRONESTAB system is composed by three different modules, which, acting in coordination, will make the solution be layers of calculating an overall and indicated index that will characterize the state of slope stability from images acquired aerially. These three modules are described below:

Data acquisition system (Hardware module)

Consist of a drone on which a high-resolution digital camera will be implemented. Even though it seems quite simple, the hardware module is optimised in terms of drone stability and power-efficiency, in order to accomplish DRONESTAB solution requirements. In terms of procedure, the data acquisition system is programmed by a flight path and specific height, where it runs the data collection by capturing images, taking into account different previous set parameters, such as overlapping, resolution, shoot speed, angle of vision, among others. These images, then, are sent by the communication system.

Data transmission system (Communication module)

Is in charge of transferring all the information captured by the hardware module to the cloud. Communication module must transfer all collected data both short and long distance, complying with the requirements of data sending rate, data sending speed, security and encryption, among others.

Data processing system (Software module)

To be processing and analysing the input information. It can be split in three main groups: algorithmic to process and adjust information got as input (from now on, AlgA); algorithmic to build 3D surface information and algorithms to assess slope/embankment current stability state (from now on, AlgR) and algorithmic to create a unique and calibrated Landslide Risk Index, made by a Back Propagation Neural Network (from now on, BPNN).

From this robust and complex algorithm, the software is capable to obtain a real-time result on the state of the slope stability, named as Landslide Risk Index (LRI). From this Index, it will be possible to observe whether it is necessary to act in case of a danger of landslide of the slope on the road, or if otherwise it does not entail any risk.