Abstract: In this paper, we use a variety of types of rotor UAVs and mounts by taking oblique photography, close photography, and other methods to obtain high-precision multi-angle images of the main bodies and the surrounding environments of the super railway bridges in steep terrain. Based on the images, we built the bridges’high-precision realtime three-dimensional model using a realscene modeling system and cloud servers. Such model results can provide effective data support for the daily maintenance and inspection of super railway bridges. The proposed method can make up for the deficiencies of existing methods, improve inspection efficiency, and reduce personnel risks. In this paper, we applied the proposed method to inspect the Nanpanjiang Bridge on the Yunnan-Guizhou railway, and also discussed the disadvantages and developments of the method.

Key words: UAV, cloud computing, real scene modelling system, oblique photogrammetry, close photogrammetry, three-dimensional real scene model, super bridge inspection