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Laser Scanning

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

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Definition

Traditionally mapping of surfaces for geological applications relied on conventional survey techniques and analogue and analytical photogrammetry. Technological developments made it possible to move from the measurement of individual points and the derivation of contours to the collection of mass surface data. The introduction of digital photogrammetry enabled the automatic simultaneous extraction of thousands of surface points or point clouds and the subsequent generation of meshed surfaces and spatial models.

The advent of LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), also referred to as laser scanning, provided a new approach to the creation of point clouds . A laser scanner determines the polar coordinates of a surface point by measuring the distance from the scanner to the surface to be mapped, together with the horizontal and vertical angles of the vector from the instrument to the point. These polar coordinates are then transformed to Cartesian xyz coordinates...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zamani research Group, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Heinz Rüther

Authors
  1. Heinz Rüther
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Correspondence to Heinz Rüther .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada Natural Resources Canada, Sidney, Ontario, Canada

    Peter Bobrowsky

  2. London, United Kingdom

    Brian Marker

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© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

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Rüther, H. (2018). Laser Scanning. In: Bobrowsky, P., Marker, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_300-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_300-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-12127-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-12127-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

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