Terrestrial laser scanning provides highly accurate, three-dimensional images enabling designers to experience and work directly with real-world conditions by viewing and manipulating rich point-clouds in computer-aided design software. By sweeping a laser beam over a scene or object, the laser scanner is able to record millions of 3D points. These X,Y,Z measurements can be imported into CAD or 3D application software and displayed on a computer monitor as a "point cloud" which has photographic qualities portrayed in one-color, gray-scale, false-color or even true color. Since all laser scan points are 3D, the files can be viewed, navigated, measured and analyzed as 3D models.

Benefits of laser scanning:

• Speed of data capture - reduces time and cost.
• Remote acquisition and measurement - increases efficiency and safety of surveys.
• High point density data ensures a complete topographic survey.
• Abundance of data captured in laser scanning reduces questionable data, provides oversampling to ensure accuracy and that all objects, structures, geometry are captured.
• High-density, accurate data are direct measurements.
• Imagery and 3D visualization provides added confidence that mapped objects correspond to actual existing conditions.