Vehicle-borne Scanning for Detailed 3D Terrain Model Generation

Three-dimensional models of real world terrain have application in a variety of tasks, but digitizing a large environment poses constraints on the design of a 3D scanning system. We have developed a Mobile Scanning System that works within these constraints to quickly digitize large-scale real world environments. We utilize a mobile platform to move our sensors past the scene to be digitized – fusing the data from cm-level accuracy laser range scanners, positioning and orientation instruments, and high-resolution video cameras – to provide the mobility and speed required to quickly and accurately model the target scene.