Communications in Science and Technology
Vol 10 No 1 (2025)

Optimizing ground control points for UAV photogrammetry: A case study in slope stability mapping

Ridha, Muhammad Hafizhir (Unknown)
Arifin, Yulian Firmana (Unknown)
Abdi, Ari Surya (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 Jul 2025

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of Ground Control Point (GCP) distribution on the accuracy of UAV-based slope mapping and stability analysis. Three GCP configurations—top-only, vertical, and diagonal—were tested. Accuracy was evaluated using UAV photogrammetry and compared to GPS geodetic data. The vertical GCP setup produced the highest accuracy, reducing total RMSE by 89.6% (from 52.93 mm to 5.50 mm). The diagonal configuration, while being slightly less accurate (61.26 mm RMSE), improved spatial coverage. Slope stability analysis using the finite element method (FEM) confirmed the reliability of the vertical setup for slope assessment. These results demonstrated that optimizing GCP layout could significantly improve model precision while reducing fieldwork. This work contributes to efficient and accurate slope monitoring with fewer GCPs, making it suitable for large-scale geotechnical applications. Future research will focus on applying these configurations to vegetated and more complex terrains and integrating automation for broader and scalable implementation.

Copyrights © 2025






Journal Info

Abbrev

cst

Publisher

Subject

Engineering

Description

Communication in Science and Technology [p-ISSN 2502-9258 | e-ISSN 2502-9266] is an international open access journal devoted to various disciplines including social science, natural science, medicine, technology and engineering. CST publishes research articles, reviews and letters in all areas of ...