The project aims to create a methodology enabling the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to identify potentially dangerous trees threatening the transport infrastructure and to automate the detection process through the user's software. Based on the project outputs, it will be possible to perform regular standardized monitoring of tree species along roads and from the obtained data (tree height, species, distance from the axis of the transport infrastructure, etc.) to detect potentially dangerous trees for the transport infrastructure. The information obtained will also serve as a basis for issuing tenders aimed at removing potentially dangerous trees, which is the prevention of possible loss of life or material damage.
Based on the outputs of the project, it will be possible to detect potentially dangerous trees in the proximity of any transport infrastructure using unmanned aerial vehicles, which could endanger traffic participants or damage the transport infrastructure itself. Potential users of the project outputs, to whose direct demand the project responds, are the Railway Infrastructure Administration and the Motorway Directorate of the Czech Republic. Information on the condition of forest stands (at the level of individual trees) is important not only for ensuring the safety of traffic but they are also a necessary basis for listing tenders focused on their maintenance. At present, this information is obtained by ground field research, which is, however, from a time, personnel and economic point of view very inefficient and often not sufficiently accurate method of data acquisition. The outputs of the project based on the use of unmanned systems bring an innovative solution that allows you to automate the entire process and apply it comprehensively to larger land units. The benefit of the project is also the creation of a methodological standard, which will enable the exchange of data between individual local administrations of transport infrastructure and thus enable the application comprehensively for the entire territory of the Czech Republic. The need for a methodological standard grows with the need for transport infrastructure managers to perform measurements annually and archive the outputs in a form that would allow comparison of different periods. The need for the project is further evidenced by several incidents this year associated with the fall of trees into the track, which could be prevented thanks to the project's outputs.
