Hybrid Methodology for Automated Collection of Data from Construction Site

Modeling 3D point cloud images scanned with the LADAR (LAser Distance And Ranging) is a time consuming process that lacks the capability of capturing material type, texture, and color of scanned objects. To extract information from construction sites and update quantities of work completed as well as mapping as-built information with the use of 3D scanners, many scans must be done from different positions and with high accuracy. Although some scanners are available in the market (e.g. the Z-series scanners from Riegl), which can scan a horizontal angel of 360º in a matter of 3 to 4 minutes, they are relatively expensive and photo images are still required to capture the attributes of material, texture and color referred to above. On the other hand, modeling 3D images using photo images alone has its drawbacks such as, for example, the difficulty of locating excavation edges. This paper introduces a method that integrates both technologies (i.e. LADAR scanning and Phtogrammetry) to collect data from construction sites pertinent to quantities of work accomplished, used subsequently for progress reporting.