3D Laser Scanning - Terrestrial LiDAR - High Definition Surveying

Compared to total stations, which capture one point at a time and take several seconds to do so, a Terrestrial LiDAR unit can capture thousands (or tens-of-thousands) of measurements per second. This results in a few million points from each occupied position. It is common to complete a LiDAR survey with 15 to 25 million points in one day of fieldwork.

Although the cost to scan may be higher by the hour, the speed at which the survey data is obtained and the increased amount of total area covered compensates for the rate and often results in a similar bottom line.

Comparing costs of a total station survey versus a LiDAR survey is not an apples-to-apples comparison. In fact, a survey performed by a field crew with a total station would cost five to ten times more in order to begin to match the amount of data collected by LiDAR. The time needed to collect the data in the field would be exponentially greater and even so, the end result would still fall far short in detail.