• LANDFILLS

Monitoring of Settlements and Volume Measurements in the Waste Relief of Landfills Using Drones

As part of the environmental monitoring and compliance process for landfill operations, annual measurements must be conducted to assess ground settlement on the slopes of waste disposal cells. These measurements help ensure the stability of the landfill and support long-term environmental management efforts.

Existing Methods for Monitoring Waste Settlements

  • Settlement Markers
  • Topographic Markings
  • Inclinometers
  • Vertical Extensometers

Main Disadvantages:

  • Measurements are taken only locally
  • Permanent markings interfere with landfill operations
  • As a result, they are placed with delays
  • Risk of equipment damage

Modern Method for Monitoring Settlements

Different successive high-resolution 3D models are created using photogrammetric methods with the Structure-from-Motion (SfM) technique.

Project Details

  • Title: Creation of a 3D Model of the Landfill Surface Using the Structure-from-Motion (SfM) Technique and Optical Data Collected by UAV
  • Description: Flight planning with a double-grid pattern, including the mapping of photo capture positions to document the waste relief of the landfill cell (Patras Landfill).

Project Details

  • Title: Repeated Aerial Surveys for Monitoring Landfill Operations
  • Description: Settlement measurement / Volume estimation of deposits / Calculation of remaining capacity

Project Details

  • Title: Calculation of Waste Settlements
  • Description: Calculation of the following:
    1. Settlement value ΔH = H1 – H2
    2. Initial waste mass thickness H0 = H1 – Hbase grades
    3. Vertical deformation εν = ΔH/H0∗100%
    4. Settlement rate Cαε = εν/(log⁡t2 – logt1)

Digital Spatial Deliverables from the Photogrammetric Processing of the Landfill

  • Orthophotos
  • Digital Terrain Models
  • 3D Point Clouds
  • Topographic Diagrams
  • Settlement Diagrams
  • Characteristic Sections
  • Volume Measurements

Aerial Thermal Imaging of the Landfill

With this approach, we conduct a thermal analysis of the ground surface to identify thermal “hotspots,” classify different soil materials, detect methane leaks, and map surface cracks.