Cost-effective drone river mapping for climate adaptation to increased flood risk

Important results from the project

The purpose of the project was to compare drone camera and drone lidar technology for mapping rivers and producing input data to hydraulic models that compute information on high flows and flood risk needed for climate adaptation. The purpose of the project was fulfilled, the two techniques gave similar topographic data apart from in very dense vegetation, with the lidar technique being more time effective but also more expensive than using drone camera. The aim of the project was fulfilled by developing work flows and evaluating the potential nationally.

Expected long term effects

As expected, the drone lidar technique gave better data in dense vegetation, but the largest differences was the greater time effectiveness and the higher cost. A combination of the two drone techniques can under the right conditions very effectively collect all the data necessary for hydraulic models and be used to quickly establish new discharge stations where high flow data are needed for climate adaptation measures. Drone mapping can also be used to validate inundation models at a national scale and in combination with satellite data also improve the calibration of these models.

Approach and implementation

In the project we developed work flows for river mapping with drones, from field planning and field measurements to data post-processing, and for use of drone data as input data for hydraulic modelling of high flows. We mapped three rivers with drones and evaluated the drone data against data collected with traditional techniques. We found drones an effective means of collecting data to hydraulic modelling and this solution´s potential to improve climate adaptation and inundation warnings nationally was discussed during the final seminar of the project and in the project report.