Department of Civil Engineering, University of Peradeniya

It is with great pleasure that we announce the promotion of Dr. Lash*tha Rathnayake to the post of Professor in Civil Engineering.

Congratulations, Professor Rathnayake, on this well-deserved achievement!

We are delighted to announce that four members of our department have been honoured with the NRC Merit Award for Scientific Research, awarded by the National Research Council of Sri Lanka. The award recognises peer-reviewed publications of outstanding scientific merit published in 2021. The Department of Civil Engineering, University of Peradeniya extends its warmest congratulations to the following awardees:

ᴀᴡᴀʀᴅᴇᴇꜱ - ɴʀᴄ ᴍᴇʀɪᴛ ᴀᴡᴀʀᴅ 2021

ᴘʀᴏꜰ. ᴍ. ᴄ. ᴍ. ɴᴀꜱᴠɪ

ᴘʀᴏꜰ. ᴋ. ɢ. ɴ. ɴᴀɴᴀʏᴀᴋᴋᴀʀᴀ

ᴘʀᴏꜰ. ʜ. ᴅ. ʏᴀᴘᴀ

ᴘʀᴏꜰ. ᴋ. ᴋ. ᴡɪᴊᴇꜱᴜɴᴅᴀʀᴀ

This recognition is a testament to the continued excellence in research within our department. We take great pride in the contributions of our faculty to advancing research in civil engineering, and wish all four recipients continued success in their scholarly endeavours

🎓 A Warm Welcome Back!

We were delighted to host members of the E91 batch of Civil Engineering alumni during their recent visit to the faculty. It was a wonderful occasion to reconnect, share memories, and engage in warm conversations with the academic staff of the Department.

We thank them for taking the time to visit their alma mater and look forward to many more such gatherings.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐔𝐀𝐕 𝐀𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠

The Workshop on UAV Aerial Surveying and Data Processing was effectively executed from April 6th to April 9th, 2026, targeting the technical and academic personnel of the Department of Civil Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Peradeniya. The primary objective of the workshop was to augment the participants' theoretical understanding and practical competencies in the increasingly evolving domain of UAV-assisted surveying, mapping, and geospatial data processing. The facilitator for this initiative was Mr. Diluk Premarathna, an independent drone specialist possessing a wealth of industry experience in aerial surveying and UAV applications.

The workshop commenced with an exploration of the Fundamentals of UAV Aerial Surveying, which comprised both theoretical presentations and hands-on practical sessions in the field. Participants were familiarized with the essential principles underlying aerial surveying and its diverse applications across various sectors such as mapping, agriculture, construction, and environmental monitoring. The sessions also elucidated the technological advancements in aerial surveying, emphasizing the transition from traditional manned aircraft and satellite systems to contemporary UAV platforms. Various UAV types, inclusive of fixed-wing and multirotor drones, were examined with a focus on their respective advantages, limitations, and suitable applications. Moreover, participants were acquainted with the foundational concepts of photogrammetry and the significance of image-based measurements in the generation of maps and three-dimensional models.

The subsequent segment of the workshop concentrated on Flight Planning and Data Acquisition. Critical elements, including the procurement of approvals for UAV operations, compliance with regulatory frameworks, airspace constraints, and operator obligations, were thoroughly examined. Participants acquired knowledge regarding mission planning principles, which encompassed the establishment of flight altitudes, image overlap, velocity, and coverage to attain necessary survey precision and safety. Practical sessions were conducted to facilitate UAV configuration, calibration, pre-flight checklist ex*****on, and test flights. Additional training encompassed survey design, coordinate systems, Ground Control Points (GCPs), and RTK/PPK workflows aimed at achieving precise georeferencing. Participants also engaged in practical experiences involving the establishment of base stations, placement of GCPs, delineation of survey boundaries, and ex*****on of autonomous UAV flight missions to capture RGB and multispectral datasets.

Another significant facet of the workshop entailed Data Processing utilizing DJI Terra and Pix4D, wherein participants were acquainted with professional-grade photogrammetry software instrumental in converting raw UAV imagery into actionable spatial products. The training encompassed the processes of importing aerial imagery, generating point clouds, orthomosaics, multispectral outputs, digital elevation models, and three-dimensional models. Methodologies for accuracy assessment and error rectification procedures were also demonstrated. During the laboratory sessions, participants processed the acquired survey data utilizing both software platforms and conducted comparative analyses of the outputs.

The concluding sessions focused on the integration and applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), wherein attendees were familiarized with the significance of GIS in spatial analysis and cartography. The discussion encompassed prevalent spatial data formats including Shapefiles, GeoTIFF, KML, and KMZ, alongside the utilization of ArcGIS and QGIS software for the purposes of visualization, analysis, and map generation. Outputs derived from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), such as orthomosaics, Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), contour maps, NDVI maps, and three-dimensional models, were incorporated into GIS platforms for practical utilization. Pertinent case studies across sectors such as agriculture, construction, disaster response, and environmental surveillance were also showcased.

In summary, the workshop offered a significant blend of theoretical frameworks, hands-on field training, software-driven data processing, and GIS-related applications. It proved to be exceedingly advantageous for the technical and academic personnel of the Department of Civil Engineering, empowering them to enhance their proficiencies in contemporary UAV surveying techniques and their engineering implications.

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐨

The final event of the FOUNTAIN Project, an Erasmus+ grant in which the University of Peradeniya (Department of Civil Engineering), is a partner, was held from 25th to 29th March 2026 in Colombo.

The main conference took place at gapHQ, Colombo, from 25th to 27th March, in collaboration with the 3rd International Conference on University–Industry Collaborations for Sustainable Development (ICSD2026). The Chief Guest at the opening ceremony was Senior Professor K. L. Wasantha Kumara, Vice Chairman of the University Grants Commission. Two keynote addresses were delivered during the conference: the first by Professor Emeritus Clarence W. De Silva of the University of British Columbia, Canada, and the second by Professor Irene Lill of the Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia.

Following the conference, the FOUNTAIN team engaged in a social visit to the city of Galle on 28th March, and subsequently visited the University of Ruhuna on 29th March.

The main event organization was led by the University of Peradeniya, headed by Professor Emeritus Ranjith Dissanayake and Professor Chaminda S. Bandara from the Department of Civil Engineering, along with Dr. Pradeep Gajanayake (University of Sri Jayewardenepura) and Ms. Monasha Karunadasa (Project Research Assistant), with generous support from gapHQ.

The FOUNTAIN Project is coordinated by the University of Ruhuna, under the leadership of Senior Professor Guttila Jayasinghe. The Sri Lankan partners, the Rajarata University, the Sabaragamuwa University, and the Horizon Campus, the Thailand partners, the Naresuan University and the Chiang Mai University, and the European partners, the Mid Sweden University (Sweden), Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia) and the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (Lithuania) contributed to the success of the event.