Mobile Terrestrial Laser Scanning Workflow Development, Technical Support and Evaluation

The primary goal of this project was to develop best practices and facilitate effective deployment of Mobile Terrestrial Laser Scanning (MTLS) data collection. MTLS combines the use of a laser scanner(s), the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), and a Distance Measuring Instrument (DMI) on a mobile platform to collect accurate and precise geospatial data. The current effort involved experimental evaluation and field testing of this technology as well as basic research on its improvement and its integration into California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) workflow. The majority of MTLS projects were used for pavement digital terrain models. Major benefits of MTLS include improved worker safety; decreased lead time from data request to data delivery; reduced survey time and cost; fewer return visits to collect additional data; reduced travel delay; high resolution 3D virtual reality data for public outreach; enables more data collection and compliance with MAP-21; and, provides cost-effective means to collect necessary data for data-driven decision-making and asset condition assessment.