A procedure for point clouds matching from range data and image-based systems

Abstract

Most of the survey techniques used in archaeology and architecture are focused on range-data (laser scanning) and image-based systems (digital photogrammetry). The paper aims to highlight a different methodological approach in the acquisition and processing procedures of the numerical data. The proposed methodology suggests an alternative way to match point clouds from laser scanner and image-based systems, exploiting the properties of the ICP algorithms. Some tests were performed at different scale in order to achieve the suitable procedure, evidencing the differences with the classic employed methods. The figures show this comparison and the making of the new procedure. The results are very interesting and concerned the merging of the numerical models from different sources. The correct position of the points in space aids the next step of the surface reconstruction (meshing process) and the final 2D representation.