Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea

National Institute of Ecology (국립생태원)
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Applications of Drones for Environmental Monitoring of Pollutant-Emitting Facilities

  • Son, Seung Woo (Department of Land and Water Environment Research, Korea Environment Institute) ;
  • Yu, Jae Jin (Department of Land and Water Environment Research, Korea Environment Institute) ;
  • Kim, Dong Woo (Department of Land and Water Environment Research, Korea Environment Institute) ;
  • Park, Hyun Su (Team of Ecosystem Service, National Institute of Ecology) ;
  • Yoon, Jeong Ho (Department of Land and Water Environment Research, Korea Environment Institute)
  • Received : 2021.06.29
  • Accepted : 2021.10.01
  • Published : 2021.11.01
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Abstract

This study aimed to determine the applicability of drones and air quality sensors in environmental monitoring of air pollutant emissions by developing and testing two new methods. The first method used orthoimagery for precise monitoring of pollutant-emitting facilities. The second method used atmospheric sensors for monitoring air pollutants in emissions. Results showed that ground sample distance could be established within 5 cm during the creation of orthoimagery for monitoring emissions, which allowed for detailed examination of facilities with naked eyes. For air quality monitoring, drones were flown on a fixed course and measured the air quality in point units, thus enabling mapping of air quality through spatial analysis. Sensors that could measure various substances were used during this process. Data on particulate matter were compared with data from the National Air Pollution Measurement Network to determine its future potential to leverage. However, technical development and applications for environmental monitoring of pollution-emitting facilities are still in their early stages. They could be limited by meteorological conditions and sensitivity of the sensor technology. This research is expected to provide guidelines for environmental monitoring of pollutant-emitting facilities using drones.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This study was funded by a grant (grant number: 2016000200009) from the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI) and conducted by the Korea Environment Institute (KEI) (name: Application of Advanced Technology (Drone, Robot, etc.) for Environmental Inspection and Its Integrated Management, number: 2018- 080). Please note that some parts of this study were written as stand-alone papers (application of advanced technology (drone, robot, etc.) for environmental inspection and its integrated management). There are some repetitions in methods and results.

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