The Utilization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Cultural Heritage Buildings: A Systematic Literature Review

Currently, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have a variety of applications in the civil construction industry, including activities related to evaluating the condition of buildings. The objective of this article is to organize information on the use of UAVs in inspecting and evaluating heritage buildings through a Systematic Literature Review. The methodology involved selecting 34 articles from the Scopus and Web of Science databases from the past five years. In general, UAVs are combined with other technologies for data acquisition to produce more precise results, such as Terrestrial Laser Scanning and digital cameras. The most used product of UAVs is a 3D model, which integrates different platforms such as Building Information Modeling and Finite Element Modeling. While UAVs are an important tool for providing accurate diagnoses and evaluations, further research is needed on their limitations in cultural heritage. For example, the applicability of UAVs depends on factors such as flight autonomy, location system, and standardization of procedures. More in-depth research is necessary for both data processing and improving the physical components of UAVs to establish their use in inspecting and evaluating heritage buildings.