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Why are laser scanners so expensive?

Because of the quality of the materials with which they are manufactured, as well as the specialized manufacturing processes that the lenses must undergo to meet the optical characteristics demanded by LiDAR technology. In addition, the types of lasers and angular precision they feature increase their cost.

What is a point-cloud survey?

It is the result of the laser scanning process by generating millions of points with XYZ coordinates, produced by the bounce of a laser on an exposed surface through the measurement of the return time over a distance, considering the speed of the laser emitted from equipment called laser scanners using LiDAR technology.

What are LiDAR surveys?

LiDAR surveys are point-cloud surveys carried out through LiDAR technology, mainly used in laser scanners, whether terrestrial, mobile, or aerial. These surveys must be performed on exposed surfaces, since the nature of LiDAR technology depends on the bounce of a laser on the surface of interest. This type of survey cannot be carried out underwater, nor on unexposed surfaces such as elements inside walls or slabs, or buried or encased elements.

How can a point cloud be obtained?

There are different methods, but among the main ones are photogrammetry, laser scanning or LiDAR, and echo sounders. Through photogrammetry we obtain point clouds that, in addition to their XYZ values, contain color (RGB) values and even values near the infrared, whereas point clouds obtained by means of LiDAR laser scanning can return intensity values of the return, depending on the reflectance of the surface on which they bounce; meanwhile, echo sounders are useful in environments where it is difficult for the laser to penetrate, such as water, and through sound waves we can obtain the XYZ coordinates of the surface where the wave bounces. It is important to mention that any capture method can be complementary to the others, but always keeping in mind that the coordinate system must be the same across all methods that are captured.

How much does a LiDAR survey cost?

How much a LiDAR survey costs depends on several factors: the size of the area, the complexity of the area, and the type of scanner to be used. The size of the area is the most obvious, since the larger the area requested to be scanned, the price per square meter can be reduced depending on the volume of work required. In the case of area complexity, this affects the productivity of the LiDAR survey, since the more complex the area, the more positions will have to be taken, which increases the days or hours in the field as well as the information processing times. The cost of a laser scan also depends on the type of scanner to be used, since mainly two factors affect or make the difference between work done with a terrestrial scanner or with a mobile scanner. The former has higher accuracy but lower productivity, and in the case of the mobile scanner its productivity is higher because you can advance while walking, but accuracy is sacrificed. In both cases, colorizing the point cloud directly affects productivity, since it is a second process that must be carried out, mainly in work performed with a terrestrial scanner.

What is a LiDAR scanner and what is it used for?

A LiDAR scanner is a device or equipment that uses a laser beam that bounces off exposed surfaces to capture XYZ coordinates, also called point clouds. On some occasions, the scanner mainly terrestrial mobile type can capture spherical photographs, also called 360 panoramas, which help generate virtual tours through which you can move across different positions throughout the scanned area. It is used mainly to capture reality, that is, the current geometric conditions of an area or space.

Does laser scanning damage the eyes?

Modern laser scanners use Class 1 lasers, that is, according to the definition (IEC 60825-1) it is a product whose accessible emission level is below the MPE (Maximum Permissible Exposure) for the eye/skin under reasonably foreseeable conditions of use. This type of Class 1 laser is considered not hazardous to eyes or skin during normal operation. The NOHD ? 0 (no ocular hazard distance is expected).

How much does laser scanning cost?

The cost of a laser scan depends on several factors: the size of the area, the complexity of the area, and the type of scanner to be used. The size of the area is the most obvious, since the larger the area requested to be scanned, the price per square meter can be reduced depending on the volume of work required. In the case of area complexity, this affects laser scanning productivity, since the more complex the area, the more scan positions will have to be taken, which increases the days or hours in the field as well as the information processing times. The cost of a laser scan also depends on the type of scanner to be used, since mainly two factors affect or make the difference between work done with a terrestrial scanner or with a mobile scanner. The former has higher accuracy but lower productivity, and in the case of the mobile scanner its productivity is higher because you can advance while walking, but accuracy is sacrificed. In both cases, colorizing the point cloud directly affects productivity, since it is a second process that must be carried out, mainly in work performed with a terrestrial scanner.

What is a point cloud?

A point cloud is a set of thousands or millions of points with XYZ coordinates and other values such as intensity, produced by a survey with LiDAR technology generally performed with laser scanners. Its main objective is the geometric representation of current conditions, also called reality capture. The point cloud can be the result of different capture methods among which photogrammetry, the use of LiDAR, and the use of echo sounders stand out.

What is the difference between LiDAR and laser scanning?

Although they are often confused and may seem to be the same, we can say that LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is the technology used by the devices or equipment called laser scanners, mainly used in point-cloud surveying to capture the current conditions of the geometries within a space or area.

What is a laser scanning service?

A laser scanning service consists of capturing reality through point-cloud surveying with equipment called laser scanners. There are different types of laser scanning, since it can be carried out with terrestrial or static equipment as well as with mobile and also aerial equipment, although the main deliverables are the same. Many times laser scanning with a drone is referred to as a LiDAR flight. It is important that when you request a laser scanning service you let your provider know which deliverables you require and in which formats; generally the simplest deliverables�or the raw material generated from this serviceare the point clouds and their 360 panoramas.

What can be obtained from a laser scanning service?

The main deliverables produced from the laser scanner are the point cloud and its 360 panoramas, also called a virtual walkthrough. As such, those are the primary deliverables, and from there you can obtain different deliverables such as 2D drawings and 3D models, as long as they are first vectorized from the point cloud, using it as a reference to draft or model in AutoCAD or Revit. You can also perform clash analyses by comparing a CAD project against the point cloud and thus analyze obstructions in the current project.

What is a point cloud used for?

A point cloud is used to capture reality, that is, the current conditions of exposed surfaces. Depending on the capture method, in addition to the coordinate values we can obtain other characteristics of the surfaces such as their reflectance based on intensity values.

Why is laser scanning used?

Although there are different ways to measure and collect points, when a complete context of everything that exists around or within the area of interest is required, the use of laser scanning is recommended, since the millions of points that are generated allow a three-dimensional visualization of the entire space and what is in it.

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