Abstract: A method for measure the layer thickness of soil coverings, in particular in the case of gas and oil pipelines laid underground, wherein the device to be covered is measured and the coordinates thereof in relation to a specified coordinate system are recorded, where the course of the terrain over the device is measured and a terrain model is determined therefrom and recorded in the specified coordinate system after the soil covering has been applied, and where the layer thickness of the soil covering is determined from the coordinates of the device and from the terrain model.

Abstract: A method for producing a depth map from a detection region of the Earth's surface, a detection region being arranged in an underground pipeline, wherein the method includes recording at least one image sequence via at least one camera, determining the position and orientation of the camera corresponding to each individual recording, determining a spatial position and orientation of the underground pipeline arranged in the detection region, producing the depth map of the detection region via a plane sweep method based on the individual recordings and the associated camera positions, where the maximum depth region of the plane sweep method is subdivided into a total of N sections in an adaptive manner, i.e., in accordance with a predetermined minimum layer thickness for the ground covering the underground pipeline, via a predetermined number of planes spaced differently from one another and extending parallel with respect to one another.