Improving UAV Mission Quality and Safety through Topographic Awareness

The field of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has progressed greatly in the last years. UAVs are now used for many applications and often flown automatically. One commonly implemented feature an automatic flight is that following a mission at stable altitude. However, this altitude almost always referenced from take-off location does not take terrain profile levels into account. This critical dangerous issue because if level changes abruptly (e.g., mountain regions or buildings city), can lead to crashes unintended (illegal) high Our aim work provide solution such constant above ground maintained. To end, we make use readily available Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). These models, which contain elevation, help us dynamically adjusting VTOL UAV so it remains nearly relation ground. Results have shown with our method, be maintained sufficiently while introducing limited increase time battery consumption proportional terrain’s irregularity. In moderately changing terrain, error could reduced just ±5 m.