SELECTED QUALITATIVE ASPECTS OF LIDAR POINT CLOUDS: GEOSLAM ZEB-REVO AND FARO FOCUS 3D X130

Abstract

This paper presents a comparison of LiDAR point clouds acquired using two, different measurement techniques: static TLS (Terrestrial Laser Scanning) performed with a FARO Focus3D X130 laser scanner and a SLAM-based (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) unit of MLS (Mobile Laser Scanning), namely GeoSLAM ZEB-REVO. After the two point clouds were brought into a single coordinate system, they were compared with each other in terms of internal accuracy and density. The density aspect was visualized using 2D density rasters, and calculated using 3 methods available in CloudCompare software. Thus, one should consider before choosing how to acquire a LiDAR point cloud whether a short measurement time is more important (ZEB-REVO) or whether higher density and measurement accuracy is more important (FARO Focus3D X130). In BIM/HBIM modeling applications, logic dictates that the TLS solution should be chosen, despite the longer data acquisition and processing time, but with a cloud with far better quality parameters that allow objects on the point cloud to be recognized. In a situation where the TLS point cloud is 20 times more dense, it allows to model objects at the appropriate level of geometric detail.