Some tasks require identification of landmarks in districts beyond the reach of existing optical observation facilities. The accuracy of their determination significantly affects the effectiveness of the use necessary equipment during the task. In the paper an algorithm to determine the object parameters using a flying platform is offered. An observation point is installed which is equipped with a navigation system to solve this task. This ensures its orientation and positioning. From the observation point an aerial observation point is displayed. It is suggested to use a flying platform. The coordinates of the flying platform are determined relative to the observation point; the coordinates of the landmarks are determined relative to the flying platform. The mathematical model of the estimation error determination of object coordinates with the help of a flying platform is proposed. The analysis of errors in determining the parameters of the object using a flying platform is conducted. Analysis of the results of mathematical modelling is conducted using the package of applications Mathcad. The dependence of these parameters on the relative position of the observation point, platforms and object is examined. It is shown that the main contribution to the error of determining the coordinates of the landmark is given by the errors of determining the observation point location and measuring the range. An analytical correlation is obtained, which allows to estimate the errors of determining the coordinates of the landmark using the flying platform with known errors in determining the observation point coordinates and the range determination of the range finder.

Nowadays, surveys using unmanned aerial vehicles are becoming popular. The resulting orthophotomap is the final product for creating digital plans and cardboard. The objectives of the study are to study the possibilities of obtaining orthophotomaps from survey materials using unmanned aerial vehicles based on the results of the experiment. The article describes various types of aerial photography. Some types of unmanned flying vehicles to conduct aerial photography for the purpose of monitoring, engineering surveys, inventory of agricultural land, and crop forecasts are considered. A description of aerial photography surveying is given on the example of the city of Dzerzhinsk, Minsk Region, which is performed taking into account the unmanned flying vehicles of GeoScan 201 and the Republican agricultural aero-geodesic unitary enterprise BelPSHAGI. A description of the GeoScan Planner software and basic pre-flight preparation is given. The stages of the preparatory work before the aerial photography, the creation of the planning and high-altitude geodetic justification, the implementation of aerial photography procedures, the steps of the aerial photograph anchorage procedure are considered. Agisoft Photoscan, which allows to get clouds of points, surfaces, 3D models and orthophotomaps using digital raster images are presented. The map of heights (DEM) of the terrain and the orthophotomap was made on the basis of a dense points cloud. According to the results of the research, a conclusion was made on the possibility of using aerial photography materials obtained using unmanned flying vehicles to get orthophotomaps of the required accuracy.

Nowadays, various types of geodetic measuring instruments are available in surveying. When conducting a survey of a terrain, surveyor must choose a survey method that is capable of providing high precision measurements. In the surveying process, it is possible to use the following measurement methods − tachymetric survey method, positioning method and remote sensing method. Each of the methods produces data formats that can be used further for volume calculations. The paper analyses the volume differences that are obtained when using various survey methods and volume calculation programs to obtain the surface model. The use of such a tool is important for useful mineral miners, so that surveyors make qualitative surveys and obtain accurate and reliable volumes. Useful minerals miners are required to report annually on their mining volume for a specified period. The useful minerals miners shall at all time keep records of the quantities of minerals actually extracted. Regardless of the type of accounting, topographic surveying and the calculation of volumes, if mineral is extracted in mineral deposits of national importance, more than 50 000 m**3, are required (Augstas detalizācijas topogrāfiskās…, 2012). High-quality and accurate topographic survey is needed to create the most realistic surface model appropriate to the terrain. It is defined that the difference between the volumes obtained from the recording of vehicle loads should not be more than 5% when comparing the result of the mineral extraction from topographic surveys (Derīgo izrakteņu ieguves…, 2012; Noteikumi par valsts…, 2018). Nowadays, various measurement methods can be used to obtain data from which a surface model can be generated, and this model can then be used for volume calculations. The surface model is a set of points where, in addition to plane coordinates (x and y), there is also altitude (z) known (Luukkonen, 2011). Each measurement method has its own different measuring instruments that can be used, each method has its own operating principles, on which the quality and accuracy of the obtained data depends.