Rodrigo Cadena

Dr. Rodrigo Cadena


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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25 February 2026 in Electronics
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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PDPedro Fernando Melo Daza
Pedro Fernando Melo Daza
RCRodrigo Cadena
Rodrigo Cadena
CLCristian Lozano
Cristian Lozano
IBIvan Felipe Rodríguez Baron
Ivan Felipe Rodríguez Baron
JRJAIME ENRIQUE ORDUY RODRIGUEZ
JAIME ENRIQUE ORDUY RODRIGUEZ
Reliable and up-to-date measurements of public space remain scarce in small and medium-sized towns (SMSTs), where conventional geospatial datasets are often outdated, inconsistent, or inaccessible. This study presents a low-cost and fully reproducible computational pipeline that integrates nadir RGB imagery captured by a DJI Mini 3 UAV with a lightweight instance-segmentation model (Ultralytics YOLOv12-seg) and GIS-based post-processing to derive class-specific surface indicators at the neighborhood scale. The workflow consists of four components: autonomous UAV acquisition over three representative zones of Sesquilé, Colombia; planar mosaic generation and georeferencing using ad hoc ground control points; fine-tuning of a YOLOv12-seg model trained on locally annotated images; and transformation of predicted masks into OSM and GeoPackage geometries for metric analysis. The trained model achieved stable convergence with mask mAP50 ≈ 0.85 and mAP50–95 ≈ 0.70, supported by balanced precision–recall behavior across classes. Spatial outputs exhibit coherent morphological contrasts between the analyzed zones. Buildings occupy 48.17% of the mapped area, vegetation 25.88%, and transport- and plaza-related public space (roadways, sidewalks, and hardscape areas) 25.95%. These proportions capture a clear gradient from a dense urban core to less consolidated peripheral sectors. Results demonstrate that very-high-resolution UAV imagery, combined with open-source deep-learning tools and structured GIS post-processing, can reliably produce operational public-space indicators for SMSTs at low cost. The methodology provides an accessible and scalable framework for evidence-based urban assessment in municipalities with limited technical and financial resources.