APPLICATION OF CONSUMER–LEVEL UAV PHOTOGRAMMETRY IN DIGITAL SURVEY OF CLIFF-BURIAL CULTURE RELICS: A CASE STUDY OF MOUNT WUYI

Abstract. The cliff-burial was an ancient funerary ritual once popular in the Far East Asia (Figure 1), in which the dead were buried high on the cliffs with log coffins (the “hanging coffins”) left in the natural caves, excavated grottoes or on some wood piles.

In view of the fact that the cliff-burial sites are usually located on the escarpments overlooking the rivers and with great slope, where the conventional 3D survey means, such as ground laser scanning and traditional aerial photogrammetry, is out of option. This study explores the possibility of using UAV (consumer–level drone) with substantial improvement in survey accuracy, range and flight control (Figure 2), which aims to lay the foundation for the global cliff-burial culture heritage research. A survey method extendible on other excavated funeral sites would be tested and codified, as a possible follow up of the research on some study cases in Far East Asia and Europe.