Review article: the use of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPASs) for natural hazards monitoring and management

TLDR

The use of remotely piloted aircraft systems for natural hazard monitoring has increased, yet codified complex methodologies for both scientific experiments and emergency operations remain lacking. This review aims to catalogue experimental methodologies developed for studying and monitoring natural hazards with RPASs. The authors survey published experimental methods that employ RPASs to acquire ultra‑high‑resolution imagery for detecting active processes such as landslides, volcanic activity, earthquakes, wildfires, and floods. Abstract.

Abstract

Abstract. The number of scientific studies that consider possible applications of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPASs) for the management of natural hazards effects and the identification of occurred damages strongly increased in the last decade. Nowadays, in the scientific community, the use of these systems is not a novelty, but a deeper analysis of the literature shows a lack of codified complex methodologies that can be used not only for scientific experiments but also for normal codified emergency operations. RPASs can acquire on-demand ultra-high-resolution images that can be used for the identification of active processes such as landslides or volcanic activities but can also define the effects of earthquakes, wildfires and floods. In this paper, we present a review of published literature that describes experimental methodologies developed for the study and monitoring of natural hazards.