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Main Authors: AbdelGafar, Omar, Palaz, Selin, Yang, Yihui, Holst, Christoph
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.25587
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author AbdelGafar, Omar
Palaz, Selin
Yang, Yihui
Holst, Christoph
author_facet AbdelGafar, Omar
Palaz, Selin
Yang, Yihui
Holst, Christoph
contents Recent advancements in technology have established terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) as a powerful instrument in geodetic deformation analysis. As TLS becomes increasingly integrated into this field, it is essential to develop a comprehensive stochastic model that accurately captures the measurement uncertainties. A key component of this model is the construction of a complete and valid variance-covariance matrix (VCM) for TLS polar measurements, which requires the estimation of variances for range, vertical, and horizontal angles, as well as their correlations. While angular variances can be obtained from manufacturer specifications, the range variance varies with different intensity measurements. As a primary contribution, this study presents an effective methodology for measuring and estimating TLS range variances using both raw and scaled intensity values. A two-dimensional scanning approach is applied to both controlled targets and arbitrary objects using TLS instruments that provide raw intensity values (e.g., Z+F~Imager~5016A) and those that output scaled intensities (e.g., Leica~ScanStation~P50). The methodology is further evaluated using field observations on a water dam surface. Overall, this work introduces a comprehensive workflow for modeling range uncertainties in high-end TLS systems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_25587
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle General model for estimating range variances of terrestrial laser scanners based on (un-)scaled intensity values
AbdelGafar, Omar
Palaz, Selin
Yang, Yihui
Holst, Christoph
Applications
Recent advancements in technology have established terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) as a powerful instrument in geodetic deformation analysis. As TLS becomes increasingly integrated into this field, it is essential to develop a comprehensive stochastic model that accurately captures the measurement uncertainties. A key component of this model is the construction of a complete and valid variance-covariance matrix (VCM) for TLS polar measurements, which requires the estimation of variances for range, vertical, and horizontal angles, as well as their correlations. While angular variances can be obtained from manufacturer specifications, the range variance varies with different intensity measurements. As a primary contribution, this study presents an effective methodology for measuring and estimating TLS range variances using both raw and scaled intensity values. A two-dimensional scanning approach is applied to both controlled targets and arbitrary objects using TLS instruments that provide raw intensity values (e.g., Z+F~Imager~5016A) and those that output scaled intensities (e.g., Leica~ScanStation~P50). The methodology is further evaluated using field observations on a water dam surface. Overall, this work introduces a comprehensive workflow for modeling range uncertainties in high-end TLS systems.
title General model for estimating range variances of terrestrial laser scanners based on (un-)scaled intensity values
topic Applications
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.25587