Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS)

Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) uses a precise laser beam and rotational measurements to return a millimeter accurate 3-dimensional set of point information on the surrounding landscape.

The GEF currently has two TLS instruments available for loan to UK researchers. One is a short range high speed phase scanner (Leica HDS6100) which can scan up to 500,000 points per second. It has a range of around 50m which means that for many projects, multiple scans will need to be taken and joined together to cover the features typically of interest to environmental researchers. The fast scan speed of our system makes this easy to accomplish.

The second scanner is a much longer range model (Riegl VZ-1000) with a maximum range around 1.4km. It is also a high-speed scanner (though not as fast as the short range model) and is ideal for situations where it is impossible to get close to the target being scanned.

Equipment available to loan

We have one Leica HDS6100 scanner and one Riegl VZ-1000 scanner available for loan. If you wish to borrow a TLS instrument you will need to use our standard application form and apply before the next deadline on 20th April 2024.

Typical Applications

Recent applications received and other possible areas where TLS may be useful are:-

• Modelling surface roughness
• Volume calculations of forest vegetation
• Measuring changes in shifting sand dunes
• Glacier measurements
• Mapping outcrops/faults/surface features