Abstract
In many technical domains of modern society, there is a growing demand for fast, precise and automatic acquisition of digital 3D models of a wide variety of physical objects and environments. Laser scanning is a popular and widely used technology to cover this demand, but it is also expensive and complex to use to its full potential. However, there might exist scenarios where the operation of a <i>real</i> laser scanner could be replaced by a computer simulation, in order to save time and costs. This includes scenarios like teaching and training of laser scanning, development of new scanner hardware and scanning methods, or generation of artificial scan data sets to support the development of point cloud processing and analysis algorithms. To test the feasibility of this idea, we have developed a highly flexible laser scanning simulation framework named <i>Heidelberg LiDAR Operations Simulator (HELIOS)</i>. HELIOS is implemented as a Java library and split up into a core component and multiple extension modules. Extensible Markup Language (XML) is used to define scanner, platform and scene models and to configure the behaviour of modules. Modules were developed and implemented for (1) loading of simulation assets and configuration (i.e. 3D scene models, scanner definitions, survey descriptions etc.), (2) playback of XML survey descriptions, (3) TLS survey planning (i.e. automatic computation of recommended scanning positions) and (4) interactive real-time 3D visualization of simulated surveys. As a proof of concept, we show the results of two experiments: First, a survey planning test in a scene that was specifically created to evaluate the quality of the survey planning algorithm. Second, a simulated TLS scan of a crop field in a precision farming scenario. The results show that HELIOS fulfills its design goals.
Highlights
Laser scanning is a widely used method of acquiring high-detail, high-precision 3D models of physical objects in many technical fields of modern society like construction, mining, farming and forestry, or science
In analogy to inaccessible or unsafe potential scanning positions (PSPs), which need to be excluded before the recommended scanning positions (RSPs) search algorithm is run, there may exist dispensable RSPs, which can only be identified after the search is finished: They have an exclusivity greater than 0, but the exclusive parts of their viewsheds are so small that the increase in coverage which comes with the addition of these scan positions to the survey is not worth the effort of moving and operating the scanner there
One such scene was constructed to test the behaviour of the terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) survey planning module in a special situation where multiple PSPs together cover the viewshed of another single PSP, and additional regions exclusively
Summary
Laser scanning is a widely used method of acquiring high-detail, high-precision 3D models of physical objects in many technical fields of modern society like construction, mining, farming and forestry, or science. There are use cases where it might be possible to replace the operation of a real laser scanner with a computer simulation, resulting in a massive reduction of costs and effort. If the focus of interest in a laser scanning operation is on the acquisition of some very specific real-world data, it can never be replaced by a simulation. There are many questions in laser scanning research for which the answers lie not in the actual content of the captured data, but in its structural characteristics, and these can very well be reproduced in a simulated environment. Possible use cases for a laser scanning simulator are, e.g., research and planning of scanning strategies, laser scanning teaching and training, generation of artificial scan data for algorithm development, or sensor development and evaluation. More detailed thoughts on the usefulness of a laser scanning simulator were presented by Lohani and Mishra (2007)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
