Remote Sensing and UAV Based Reconnaissance for the Identification and Characterization of Geothermal Surface Manifestations in Honduras and Costa Rica

Abstract

Summary Drone technology for the exploration of geothermal resources is not yet common in Central America although the potential of including drone surveys in early exploration phases is high due to a fast and cost-effective application. The German Technical Cooperation Project Yacimientos II, implemented by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) supports the institutions Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) in Costa Rica and Empresa Nacional de Energia Electrica (ENEE) of Honduras to conduct pilot studies considering the implementation of thermal drone surveys in two study areas in Costa Rica and Honduras. Aim of this study is to successfully include this new approach in exploration studies in the SICA region, overcoming the challenges that arise during the different steps from flight planning, flight execution, the post-flight data processing, and finally the integration of the data into a GIS. The individual steps as well as the challenges that arose and possible solutions are described in this study.