Terrestrial Laser Scanning in Civil Engineering: Applications and Spatial Modeling
Keywords:
Terrestrial Laser Scanning, Point Clouds, Civil Engineering, Structural Health Monitoring, Deformation MonitoringAbstract
Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) has evolved over the past two decades from a specialised survey instrument into a core measurement technology for civil engineering practice. By capturing millions of three-dimensional (3D) points per second without physical contact with the object, TLS overcomes the discrete-point limitations of conventional total-station and GNSS surveying and enables rapid, low-cost acquisition of complete 3D geometric and visual information. This paper reviews terrestrial laser scanning technology, its measurement principles, scanner classification, system components and point-cloud data with a particular focus on its applications in civil engineering: structural health monitoring and deformation measurement, scan-to-BIM and digital-twin production, bridge and infrastructure inspection, construction-progress and earthwork-quantity tracking, and restoration and cultural-heritage documentation. Representative examples are drawn from the literature and from a complete field-to-model TLS case study carried out by the authors at Bülent Ecevit University- the exterior survey of the Farabi Mosque using a FARO Focus 3D X330 scanner - alongside a description of a current representative market instrument, the FARO FocusS 350. The review shows that TLS has matured into an accurate, versatile and cost-effective tool that is increasingly embedded in digital-twin and building-information-modelling (BIM) workflows across the civil engineering sector.
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