Advantages of Laser Scanning Systems for Topographical Surveys in Roads Engineering

The objective of the work is to assess the advantages of the laser scanning system in the topographical surveys. The analysis and assessment of two methods, the classical total station method and mobile laser scanning are presented in the article. The results of the performed investigations have been compared, the technological characteristics and accuracy of the investigations have been presented, as well as the procedure of the topographic image formation, possibilities and efficiency have been assessed. The real-life topographic survey’s projects on the analysis of roads and streets (components) have been used where the ground surface, the components of the roads and the surrounding objects have been analysed. The analysis provides information on the availability and potential of the investigated methods and the final attained accuracy due to a certain number of the control points. The obtained results indicate that the main differences of the methods revealed when compiling the topographical images for urban or rural areas are the speed of measurements and data processing, level of detail of the results and various possibilities of the method implementation.