Ground subsidence monitoring in based on UAV-LiDAR technology: a case study of a mine in the Ordos, China

Abstract Ground subsidence in Western coal mining areas is characterized by rapid deformation, extensive damage, and a wide range of impacts. The conventional observation methods are inappropriate for surface damage monitoring in high-intensity mining areas of Western China. Therefore, it is a crucial problem to quickly, accurately, and comprehensively monitor the ground subsidence and environmental damage caused by high-intensity and large-scale mining. In this study, we propose a monitoring method for the ground subsidence of high-intensity mining with Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Lidar (UAV-LiDAR) measurement technology. Taking a mine in Ordos of China as an example, the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is obtained by Kriging Interpolation of the ground point cloud from UAV-LiDAR. Then, the multi-stage DEM differential processing is employed to get ground subsidence. Finally, the median and bilateral filters combine for denoise to obtain the high-precision ground subsidence. The results show that the accuracy of the ground DEM generated by UAV-LiDAR is 15 mm and the mean square error of the ground subsidence basin is 39 mm. UAV-LiDAR technology can quickly obtain abundant surface data and obtain high-precision ground subsidence. Therefore, the application of this technology and method in subsidence monitoring in mining areas is feasible. And it can provide support for ecological environment monitoring, land reclamation, and ecological restoration in mining areas. The research results can provide a useful basis for monitoring the surface damage of coal mining in Western China.