Multiplatform Mobile Laser Scanning: Usability and Performance

Abstract

Mobile laser scanning is an emerging technology capable of capturing three-dimensional data from surrounding objects. With state-of-the-art sensors, the achieved point clouds capture object details with good accuracy and precision. Many of the applications involve civil engineering in urban areas, as well as traffic and other urban planning, all of which serve to make 3D city modeling probably the fastest growing market segment in this field. This article outlines multiplatform mobile laser scanning solutions such as vehicle- and trolley-operated urban area data acquisition, and boat-mounted equipment for fluvial environments. Moreover, we introduce a novel backpack version of mobile laser scanning equipment for surveying applications in the field of natural sciences where the requirements include precision and mobility in variable terrain conditions. In addition to presenting a technical description of the systems, we discuss the performance of the solutions in the light of various applications in the fields of urban mapping and modeling, fluvial geomorphology, snow-cover characterization, precision agriculture, and in monitoring the effects of climate change on permafrost landforms. The data performance of the mobile laser scanning approach is described by the results of an evaluation of the ROAMER on a permanent MLS test field. Furthermore, an in situ accuracy assessment using a field of spherical 3D targets for the newly-introduced Akhka backpack system is conducted and reported on.

Monitoring Riverbank Erosion in Mountain Catchments Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning

“…This certainly represents a strong limitation in mountain areas. An interesting alternative is given by the use of MLS sensors on more flexible platforms such as boats [66], Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and backpacks [92]. Generally, if high quality positioning sensors (Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and inertial measurement unit) are adopted and operated in proper conditions, the accuracy and spatial resolution offered by MLS is only slightly worse with respect to the one provided by static laser scanning.…”

The Use of Airborne and Mobile Laser Scanning for Modeling Railway Environments in 3D

“…State-of-the-art MLS has a scan rate of 400 lines per second; the MLS RIEGL VMX-450-RAIL (RIEGL, USA) can measure up to 1.1 million points per second along the trajectory of a moving platform with a 360° field of view without gaps [3]. The measurement distance to the objects can be from 0.3 m to 800 m. MLS can also be used with different platforms, such as vehicle-and trolley-operated MLS for urban area data acquisition, boat-mounted MLS equipment for fluvial environments, and backpack versions of MLS used for surveying applications in the field of natural sciences, an example of which can be found in Kukko et al [4].…”

3D Modeling of Coarse Fluvial Sediments Based on Mobile Laser Scanning Data

“…Eight spherical targets were located in the test area and registered with RTK-GPS in order to evaluate the geometric quality of the MLS point cloud data. According to the accuracy analysis reported in Kukko et al [9], comparing the RTK-GPS measured and the MLS system measured locations of the eight spherical targets, the 2D RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) for all the targets was 18 mm in the horizontal plane and 29 mm in elevation, the 3D RMSE for the targets was 34 mm. The absolute accuracy of the MLS point cloud data is 17 mm-23 mm regarding both (x, y) plane and elevation.…”

“…Backpack-based platforms [9,10] are designed to meet the challenges set by the terrains and environments that are hard to access for typical MLS platforms such as vehicles, UAVs and helium-balloons. In this study, a MLS system called "Akhka" is applied to collect the sedimentary information on the gravel bar in the study site.…”

“…For any other image, + when the curve locates at the boundary of the object. The energy functional is: (9) where , and are fixed parameters, the first term is the length of the curve, the second term is and the third term is . An associated Euler-Lagrange equation for function is deduced to minimize the functional in (9) respect to .…”