The selection of a laser scanner can be a difficult decision.

1. Type of laser (wavelength) – How well does the laser reflect off the type of surfaces to be scanned?  Are you scanning metal objects, topography, wet surfaces, dark surfaces?

2. Spot size (pulse width, beam divergence) – What will be the size of the laser spot on the target?  Do features smaller than this need to be modeled?

3. Speed – The most common question is: How many points does it collect per second?  Most scanners are fast so this is not the most crucial ifnormation.  A more important question is: How much setup time (e.g. mount the instrument, boot up, select scan window, acquire imagerytargets, and scan) is involved?  The latter can dominate a lot of the actual field time required.  Another question is how much processing is required and what workflow optimizations are presented by the scan manufacturer. 

4. Field of View – How wide is the scan view? (Many scanners can scan 360 degrees horizontal, but have a limited vertical window).

5. Accuracy – What level of instrument measurement error is acceptable to fit into your overall error budget?  This will depend on the intended applications. 

6. Resolution – What point density is achievable/required? 

7. Range – How much coverage is needed in a single scan?

8. Geo-referencing – Does the scanner have a calibrated GPS mount for geo-referencing? Or are external targets required?

9. Level compensatorsInclination sensors – Can the scanner correct for out of level setups, improving data quality? 

10. Mobility, durability – Is the scanner designed for field operation?  Or is it meant to be an indoor scanner? 

11. Photography – Do you need photographic information? Does the scanner use an internal or external camera?  What steps need to be taken to map the photograph to the point cloud if it is external?  Is the photograph taken simultaneously or as an additional data collection procedure?  How long does this take?

12. Software – What software package is used for aligning and meshing the scans? What features are available?  How does this package integrate with the other packages you are currently using?

13. Effects on humans – Is it eye safe?

14. Maintenance – What are the costs associated with maintaining the scanner?  Many manufacturers offer maintenance packages.

15. Upgrades – Scanner technology evolves quickly.  Would you be able to upgrade your scanner (or obtain a trade-in credit) when it is time to upgrade?

Please contact hds@sccssurvey.co.uk or 01480 404888 for more information.