Terrestrial Laser Scanning – Investigations and Applications for High Precision Scanning

Nowadays, laser scanning has become an additional technique for geodetic applications. The use of laser scanners is continuously increasing. Different laser scanners of several companies are available. At the Institute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry (IGP) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich), experiences with several scanners were gained. Recently, the focus is on investigating and using the Imager 5003 of Zoller+Froehlich, Germany. In the laboratories at the IGP, the Imager 5003 laser scanner has been investigated. A 52 m calibration track line allows to compare the measured distance with the nominal distance provided by an interferometer. Several tests were carried out on this calibration track line focussing on the distance accuracy. Further on, the eccentricity of the laser scanner was examined as well as the trunnion axis error. Some results of these comprehensive investigations will be presented. The practical use of the Imager 5003 laser scanner has been tested on several objects. One of these objects, a chapel, represents an application in cultural heritage as a typical laser scanning application. Whereas the other object, a tunnel, demonstrates an application of engineering geodesy. First results of these two objects will be shown