Comparative Analysis of Aerial Photogrammetric and Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) Methodologies in Topographic Surveys for Designing a Potable Water System in Uyuntza, Suntsuntza, and Pikiur Communities, Sevilla Don Bosco Parish, Morona Santiago Canton, Ecuado

Abstract

The aim of this study is to compare the results of two topographic survey methodologies in the design of a potable water system for the communities of Uyuntza, Suntsuntza, and Pikiur in the parish of Sevilla Don Bosco in the Morona Santiago canton, Ecuador, with an intervention area of 468 hectares. In this context, the results were compared between the methodology employing an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) and the second utilizing a Real Time Kinematic (RTK) GNSS receiver or kinematic differential GPS; the analysis involved post-processing the information collected with the drone and differential GPS, contrasting parameters such as cost, time, and precision through statistical tests. The outcome of this method comparison demonstrated that the drone-based process is secure, feasible, and efficient in terms of time and cost; however, significant differences in altimetry precision (Z-axis) were found. Therefore, local ground control points (GCP) will continue to be crucial in studies of environments incorporating data collection with airborne sensors.