Possibilities of Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in Geospatial Support in the Czech Army

Abstract

The importance of digital geographic data has been growing very rapidly in recent decades. It is hard to imagine a current military operation in which there is no need to plan, model, or visualize the environment using digital geographic data. The creation and distribution of this data is one of the basic tasks of geographical support in most armies. Most of these data models are created using photogrammetric methods from image data or aerial laser scanning technology. The creation of data using these traditional procedures makes it possible to create robust geodatabases from a large area, but it is often lengthy and does not allow responding to current changes in the area of interest and the needs of the troops for accurate and especially up-to-date geographic data. A faster alternative for creating current geographical data or updating existing geodatabases is the use of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Evaluation of the possibilities of using the AgEagle eBeeX UAV for selected tasks of data collection and creation of data models is the main goal of this article. The article will describe and evaluate selected tasks suitable for the use of this UAV.