Integrating UAV Photogrammetry and Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Three-Dimensional Geometrical Modeling of Post-earthquake County of Beichuan

Abstract

UAV photogrammetry and terrestrial laser scanning are non-contact measurement technologies, and have become increasingly popular for three-dimensional geometrical modeling of a single building or a city in recent years. By integrating UAV photogrammetry and terrestrial laser scanning, we are able to obtain the buildings’ present status and their reconstruction models, which plays a great role in protection of post-earthquake sites. This paper presents the 3D modeling and application process of one of the most important post-earthquake sites in the county of Beichuan in China. First, texture characteristics were extracted from buildings through site investigation and the database of buildings’ earthquake damage characteristics was established. Then, in order to realize the complementary advantages of UAV photogrammetry and terrestrial laser scanning technologies, effectively solve the deficiencies of the single technology, this paper combined tilt photogrammetry and terrestrial laser scanning technology for 3D modeling of post-earthquake county of Beichuan. The results indicate that the 3D model established by integrating UAV photogrammetry and terrestrial laser scanning is tested to be of high quality and high precision. Meanwhile, the integration of two sources of point cloud data effectively reduced the workload of field control survey work. Moreover, the resulting 3D models can be used for further analysis such as earthquake disaster assessment, feature fracture extractions and 3D measurement.