Abstract
As laser scanning technology has improved a lot in recent years, terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) have become popular devices for surveying tasks with high accuracy demands, such as deformation analyses. For this reason, finding a stochastic model for TLS measurements is very important in order to get statistically reliable results. The measurement accuracy of laser scanners—especially of their rangefinders—is strongly dependent on the scanning conditions, such as the scan configuration, the object surface geometry and the object reflectivity. This study demonstrates a way to determine the intensity-dependent range precision of 3D points for terrestrial laser scanners that measure in 3D mode by using range residuals in laser beam direction of a best plane fit. This method does not require special targets or surfaces aligned perpendicular to the scanner, which allows a much quicker and easier determination of the stochastic properties of the rangefinder. Furthermore, the different intensity types—raw and scaled—intensities are investigated since some manufacturers only provide scaled intensities. It is demonstrated that the intensity function can be derived from raw intensity values as written in literature, and likewise—in a restricted measurement volume—from scaled intensity values if the raw intensities are not available.
Highlights
ObjectivesThe goal of this study is to find an efficient and economic procedure to calculate a range precision for the points of the presented examples and to investigate whether this could be done with scaled intensity values since previous studies only dealt with raw intensities
This study presents new approaches, which simplify the investigations for users of 3D terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) to analyze the range precision of their scanners
Since not all scanners can operate in 1D mode, and they do not supply raw intensity values, several aspects were examined, such as the estimation of the range precision with 3D points, finding the right measurement setup and the use of scaled intensity data
Summary
The goal of this study is to find an efficient and economic procedure to calculate a range precision for the points of the presented examples and to investigate whether this could be done with scaled intensity values since previous studies only dealt with raw intensities. As not every manufacturer provides raw intensity values, the second goal of this study is to find out whether raw as well as scaled intensity values, such as those from Leica Cyclone, can be utilized for determining the range precision of the given examples (Section 6)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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 callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
