Efficiency of Terrestrial Laser Scanning in Survey Works

Nowadays, static, mobile, terrestrial, and airborne laser scanning technologies have become familiar data sources for engineering work, especially in the area of land surveying. The diversity of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data applications thanks to the accuracy and the high point density in addition to the 3D data processing high speed allow laser scanning to occupy an advanced position among other spatial data acquisition technologies. Moreover, the unmanned aerial vehicle drives the airborne scanning progress by solving the flying complexity issues. However, before the employment of the laser scanning technique, it is unavoidable to assess the accuracy of the scanner being used under different circumstances. The key to success is determined by the correct selection of suitable scanning tools for the project. In this paper, the terrestrial LiDAR data is tested and used for several laser scanning projects having diverse goals and typology, e.g., road deformation monitoring, building façade modelling, road modelling, and stockpile modelling and volume measuring. The accuracy of direct measurement on the LiDAR point cloud is estimated as 4mm which may open the door widely for LiDAR data to play an essential role in survey work applications.