Visual Inspection in Dilapidation Study of Heritage Structure Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV): Case Study As-Solihin Mosque, Melaka

Abstract

Maintenance and preservation of inheritance structures is very important to avoid failure in design and structure. An efficient maintenance scheme requires periodical inspections associated with a reliable condition determination of the structure. Especially the process of data acquisition is a time consuming, labour intensive and technically complex task. The study aims to apply vision-based inspection and monitoring approach for heritage structures based on high quality aerial photos taken by remote controlled Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to identify the type of defect in the outer structures of the heritage mosque's roof. In terms of quality and time, this approach contributes significantly to data acquisition and monitoring strategies and will provide increased efficiency in preserving heritage monuments. UAV equipped with high-quality photo cameras or high-quality video cameras provides opportunities to facilitate and speed up data acquisition and monitoring tasks. The processes involved in the study are planning and preparation before flight, data acquisition using UAV, image processing and data analysis from video to image. As the results from the analysis, a total of 39 locations have been identified and documented by defects such as cracks, plants, moss and fungus, rust, fade paint and others. All defective information obtained through visual inspection of the UAV can assist the Department of Heritage and the management team of the mosque in conservation and maintenance work.