The use of an unmanned aerial vehicle to acquire data to develop inland electronic navigational charts: The case of a bridge and the navigation infrastructure located on it

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies are becoming increasingly common, with ever-expanding applications. Low-altitude imaging makes it possible to quickly acquire high-resolution data for various objects, especially for mapping. This paper presents the mapping of a bridge and its notice marks, lights, and span to produce electronic navigation charts for inland navigation. The research object was the Clowy Bridge on the Regalica River in Szczecin, Poland. In order to carry out the research, two photogrammetric flights were made, and three sets of photos were created, from which orthophotos were developed. The research included the analysis of the orthophoto generation process, as well as quantitative and qualitative analyses. The results of the research demonstrated the possibility of using this type of data for mapping bridges to create electronic navigation maps for inland navigation.