• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.22-31
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• 2021

Surface image velocimetry (SIV) is a noncontact velocimetry technique based on images. Recently, studies have been conducted on surface velocity measurements using drones to measure a wide range of velocities and discharges. However, when measuring the surface velocity using a drone, reference points must be included in the image for image correction and the calculation of the ground sample distance, which limits the flight altitude and shooting area of the drone. A technique for calculating the surface velocity that does not require reference points must be developed to maximize spatial freedom, which is the advantage of velocity measurements using drone images. In this study, a technique for calculating the surface velocity that uses only the drone position and the specifications of the drone-mounted camera, without reference points, was developed. To verify the developed surface velocity calculation technique, surface velocities were calculated at the Andong River Experiment Center and then measured with a FlowTracker. The surface velocities measured by conventional SIV using reference points and those calculated by the developed SIV method without reference points were compared. The results confirmed an average difference of approximately 4.70% from the velocity obtained by the conventional SIV and approximately 4.60% from the velocity measured by FlowTracker. The proposed technique can accurately measure the surface velocity using a drone regardless of the flight altitude, shooting area, and analysis area.