Applications of Photogrammetry-Based 3D Reconstruction Approach for Cut Slope Monitoring

The 3D Point Cloud reconstructed with photos taken by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is a promising tool for monitoring and managing risks of cut slopes. Compared with other 3D measurement technology, photogrammetry contains both 2D images and 3D reconstruction information. In this work, applications of photogrammetry 3D reconstruction approach for cut slope monitoring are introduced. The applications include annotating 3D point clouds with 2D images and cut slope displacement monitoring by comparing point clouds obtained at different times. A rocky cut slope was investigated to show how the applications work. Along with the applications, this work also discussed some problems that may occur when processing point clouds. These applications mentioned in this work are based on the projection relationship between 2D images and 3D point cloud, and thus, illustrate the irreplaceability and convenience of image reconstructed point cloud for monitoring. The applications can be extended to other civil engineering structures or infrastructures.