Traditionally, the pipeline industry and government regulations used a depth based assessment criteria to identify and prioritize dents in the order of severity. This depth based criteria had limitations and could potentially underestimate dent severity. In recent years, strain parameter has been used to characterize dent severity in a pipeline. Dent strain analysis requires dent profile information. In-Line Inspection (ILI) caliper tools provide both longitudinal and circumferential dent profiles that can be used to evaluate strain. However, no comparable technologies are available for in-ditch dent profile measurement. The currently used profile-gauge technology only measures dent profile through its deepest point, which may not capture the maximum strain in the dent and could result in underestimating the severity. A recent study showed that LaserScan 3D mapping technology provides an accurate dent 3D profile that can easily be extracted for “point-to-point” strain analysis and is an ideal tool for verification of ILI performance. Furthermore, LaserScan 3a D mapping accurately measures other associated anomalies such as gouge and metal loss. Most importantly, the advantage of employing dent LaserScan is that strain analysis can be conducted at the excavation site and simultaneously, strain based mitigation decision can be made in real time. In this paper, a portable LaserScan 3D mapping technology for measurement of dents and dents associated with other anomalies in pipelines is introduced. Fundamentals of the technology are briefly discussed in terms of accuracy, resolution and appropriateness for pipeline application. Examples of 3D mapping for dent and dent with other anomalies are presented. Extraction of dent profile and subsequent strain analysis are further demonstrated.Copyright © 2010 by ASME