3D-Laser-Sensors and their Applications in Archaeology and Modeling of Historic Buildings

Abstract

RIEGL 3D-laser sensors provide the measurement of 3D-information of arbitrary surfaces with high speed and high accuracy in the mm range covering a measuring range of 1 m up to 1000 m and a very wide field-of-view up to 180 x 360 deg. Based on measuring the time-of-flight of near-infra-red pulses and on opto-mechanical scanning this technique provides dense and accurate point clouds describing the surface of the objects or the topography scanned. Additional information on the target’s reflectivity and color allows straightforward texturing of models generated from the point clouds. The measurement technique is well suited for documentation, monitoring and recording in archaeology. The scanners provide high-resolution 3D data acquisition of architecture, historic buildings and monuments as well as the topography of the site down to the digital elevation model of the surface of a single archaeological deposit for the recording of a stratigraphic excavation. The collected data can be used for the generation of a highly detailed virtual model of the archaeological site or monument. This paper describes the latest generation of sensors available from RIEGL LMS GmbH and presents archaeological applications at Persepolis, Ephesos, Schwarzenbach and Markgrafneusiedl.

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