Registration of terrestrial laser scanner data using imagery

Abstract

Building 3D models using terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) data is currently an active area of research, especially in the fields of heritage recording and site documentation. Multiple TLS scans are often required to generate an occlusion-free 3D model in situations where the object to be recorded has a complex geometry. The first task associated with building 3D models from laser scanner data in such cases is to transform the data from the scanner's local coordinate system into a uniform Cartesian reference datum, which requires sufficient overlap between the scans. Many TLS systems are now supplied with an SLR-type digital camera, such that the scene to be scanned can also be photographed. T..