ARCHIMEDES3D - AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM FOR THE GENERATION OF ARCHITECTURAL ORTHOIMAGES

A true ortho image and it’s appertaining digital surface model (DSM) provide most the of geometric information required for the documentation of a building facade. There are different techniques available to acquire the information requested to generate a DSM. In this paper we describe how a motorized and reflectorless total station controlled by the software package Archimedes3D can be used to determine the necessary information. Apart from a total station, a laptop and a digital camera are the only hardware components needed to complete these tasks. After establishing of the site covering reference system the total station is used to scan the surface of the object in a point density which can be adapted to the local requirements. The lower data rate of a total station compared to laser scanners can be compensated by maintaining intelligent control of the measurement process.