138. Robotic Imaging | LiDAR Scanning’s Role in Historic Preservation

The following Robotic Imaging blog post by Robotic Imaging Chief Marketing Officer Natalie Perri is reprinted with the permission of Robotic Imaging. www.RoboticImaging.com 

Robotic Imaging: LiDAR Scanning’s Role in Historic Preservation

With multiple firms and organizations dedicated to preserving historic architectural sites, new technological developments play a critical role in how this industry preserves these special spaces. Laser scanning and its new expansive developments, is unquestionably the most exciting and opportunistic aspect of historic preservation.

Laser scanning has quickly become a critical key tool to document and later analyze and preserve historic sites for future generations to enjoy. Naturally, the structural integrity of buildings tend to degrade over time. Preserving historic buildings always has unpredictable risks. But, through detailed data sets, produced by point cloud data extracted from an initial laser scan, these sites can better be restored and foresee potential issues.

Unfortunately, some historical sites have already perished. LiDAR technology and laser scanning can work beyond restoration work. Point cloud data can be used to recreate and reconstruct an original environment. People would have the capability to experience a site as it formerly was.

Understanding the Term LiDAR

"Light detection and ranging" or "laser imaging, detection, and ranging," is in short referred as LiDAR which clearly explains itself as a tool that releases pulsed light waves. The sensor catches the waves that bounce off objects and return. The distance traveled by each pulse is calculated by the sensor using the time taken by each pulse to return.

After being repeated millions of times per second, ultimately a real-time 3D image of the target is created. Being one of the most revolutionary techniques in current times, it is being used in multiple fields, including agriculture, archeology, autonomous vehicles, navigation and astronomy.

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Continued in the We Get Around Network Forum (www.WGANForum.com).