Comparison between point cloud and mesh models using images from an unmanned aerial vehicle

•Tree object measurements obtained with point cloud and mesh models are compared.•The effect of the number of images on the object-surveying accuracy was analyzed.•The point cloud is approximately 2% more accurate than mesh models for individual tree measurement.•The number of images does not have a critical impact on single-tree surveys.•The results can be applied to urban tree mapping and analysis. Structure from motion (SfM) is a well-known algorithm used for the generating of three-dimensional (3D) spatial information using images. The objective of this study is to compare the measurements of objects ascertained from point cloud and mesh models derived from the SfM algorithm. In particular, we analyze a single tree to determine the correlation between the number of acquired images from the UAVs and the object measurement for each model. The results indicate that the number of images does not have a critical impact on surveys and the point cloud is approximately 2% more accurate than mesh models for individual tree measurement. Our results will be useful in terms of selecting the data acquisition method as well as the data itself for measuring objects based on SfM 3D data.