Establishment of Accuracy Testing Facilities for Terrestrial Laser Scanners

dc.contributor.advisorSmit, Julian Lloyd
dc.contributor.authorDavison, Wayne
dc.date.accessioned2019-02-18T09:30:10Z
dc.date.available2019-02-18T09:30:10Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.date.updated2019-02-18T08:29:40Z
dc.description.abstractMeasurement instruments that are required for high precision and reliable work need to have regular checks to ensure they are always performing at the required level of accuracy. A Terrestrial Laser Scanner is one such instrument and with the vast amount of information that this machine is able to capture, it is especially important to run regular accuracy checks. This research is building on the work that has been done by previous researchers on the assessment of instrument accuracy and the establishment of facilities specialized for this assessment. Theoretical principles are investigated in the form of Least Squares Adjustments, similarities to panorama photography and photogrammetric accuracy. Terrestrial Laser Scanners are reviewed with respect to their scanning principles and data acquisition. The methodology incorporated in this research encompasses the positioning of targets, their survey to establish high accuracy coordinates through various methods of adjustment and thereafter the scanning of those targets. Comparisons were done using derived angles and distances between the targets to discover the point accuracy of the Laser Scanner. This was done for two facilities; a short range facility (1 to 15 meters) and a medium range facility (1 to 75 meters). The medium range facility also included a range testing baseline for distance accuracy assessments. The outcomes from the comparisons between the surveyed control data and the laser scanner observed data indicated that the laser scanner is performing below the accuracy of the surveyed data. The laser scanner was further compared against the manufacturer quoted performance specifications and revealed the laser scanner to be performing below the quoted values. The laser scanner in question showed stronger results in the horizontal measurements over the vertical measurements. All results suggested the laser scanner was delivering weak results in the vertical observations due to a mis-alignment of individual scan halves. This research was able to establish two accuracy assessment facilities specialized for Terrestrial Laser Scanners under these same conditions. Both facilities were used in conjunction, to analyze the Z+F Imager 5010C laser scanner and determine the point accuracy in terms of the observed angles and distances from this machine. The results are also able to identify errors in the performance of the laser scanner and whether or not it is performing within the manufacturer specifications by noticing any large values such as in the case of the vertical observations for this instrument.
dc.identifier.apacitationDavison, W. (2018). <i>Establishment of Accuracy Testing Facilities for Terrestrial Laser Scanners</i>. (). University of Cape Town ,Engineering and the Built Environment ,Division of Geomatics. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29572en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationDavison, Wayne. <i>"Establishment of Accuracy Testing Facilities for Terrestrial Laser Scanners."</i> ., University of Cape Town ,Engineering and the Built Environment ,Division of Geomatics, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29572en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationDavison, W. 2018. Establishment of Accuracy Testing Facilities for Terrestrial Laser Scanners. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Davison, Wayne AB - Measurement instruments that are required for high precision and reliable work need to have regular checks to ensure they are always performing at the required level of accuracy. A Terrestrial Laser Scanner is one such instrument and with the vast amount of information that this machine is able to capture, it is especially important to run regular accuracy checks. This research is building on the work that has been done by previous researchers on the assessment of instrument accuracy and the establishment of facilities specialized for this assessment. Theoretical principles are investigated in the form of Least Squares Adjustments, similarities to panorama photography and photogrammetric accuracy. Terrestrial Laser Scanners are reviewed with respect to their scanning principles and data acquisition. The methodology incorporated in this research encompasses the positioning of targets, their survey to establish high accuracy coordinates through various methods of adjustment and thereafter the scanning of those targets. Comparisons were done using derived angles and distances between the targets to discover the point accuracy of the Laser Scanner. This was done for two facilities; a short range facility (1 to 15 meters) and a medium range facility (1 to 75 meters). The medium range facility also included a range testing baseline for distance accuracy assessments. The outcomes from the comparisons between the surveyed control data and the laser scanner observed data indicated that the laser scanner is performing below the accuracy of the surveyed data. The laser scanner was further compared against the manufacturer quoted performance specifications and revealed the laser scanner to be performing below the quoted values. The laser scanner in question showed stronger results in the horizontal measurements over the vertical measurements. All results suggested the laser scanner was delivering weak results in the vertical observations due to a mis-alignment of individual scan halves. This research was able to establish two accuracy assessment facilities specialized for Terrestrial Laser Scanners under these same conditions. Both facilities were used in conjunction, to analyze the Z+F Imager 5010C laser scanner and determine the point accuracy in terms of the observed angles and distances from this machine. The results are also able to identify errors in the performance of the laser scanner and whether or not it is performing within the manufacturer specifications by noticing any large values such as in the case of the vertical observations for this instrument. DA - 2018 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2018 T1 - Establishment of Accuracy Testing Facilities for Terrestrial Laser Scanners TI - Establishment of Accuracy Testing Facilities for Terrestrial Laser Scanners UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29572 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/29572
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationDavison W. Establishment of Accuracy Testing Facilities for Terrestrial Laser Scanners. []. University of Cape Town ,Engineering and the Built Environment ,Division of Geomatics, 2018 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29572en_ZA
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.departmentDivision of Geomatics
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Engineering and the Built Environment
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherGeomatics
dc.titleEstablishment of Accuracy Testing Facilities for Terrestrial Laser Scanners
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMSc
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
thesis_ebe_2018_davison_wayne.pdf
Size:
95.2 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
0 B
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Collections