Laser Scanning – Principles and Applications

In this overview paper the principles of laser scanning systems are presented. This includes a survey of different range measurement principles as well as different mechanisms for the deflection of the emitted laser beam. Furthermore, the usage of the laser scanning (LS) principle at different platforms (airborne (ALS), terrestrial (TLS), satellite) is discussed. Additionally, typical sensor parameters of currently commercially available sensor systems are presented. Furthermore, the technique of full-waveform LS is introduced and georeferencing of ALS data for improved precision is presented. The usage of LS data in different applications will be presented in an overview.