Using drones during eruptions to measure the volcanological parameters that characterize a lava flow and provide useful data for the Civil Protection: this is the object of the research carried out by the Etna Observatory of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (OE-INGV) and published in the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermical Research.
The study, funded by the Civil Protection Department (DPC) as part of the experimental projects linked to monitoring activities, was developed by the FlyEye-Team of the Etna Observatory with the aim of quickly providing a map for the study of mitigation of the risk associated with natural events, focusing on the eruption of Etna which began on February 27, 2017.
On 2 March 2017, drones were used for the first time on the Sicilian volcano in parallel with the ground mapping activities of the lava flows. The wind, the snow, the low temperatures, the high altitude, the eruption in progress and the urgency of providing reliable data to the Civil Protection have prevented a homogeneous distribution of ground control points, essential for anchoring and geolocating the model 3D. As a result, the authors adopted an unconventional survey and data restitution strategy compared to traditional techniques.
The processing of the surveys carried out with the drones made it possible to obtain the georeferenced orthophoto of 96% of the casting, highlighting that in the short time necessary to monitor a highly dynamic event, considerable results could be achieved in terms of precision and resolution . A slower and more targeted processing then made it possible to calculate the volume of the material emitted with the topographical approach and the relative average effusion rate.
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