United States Department of Transportation
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Abstract:LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), also often referred to as “3D laser scanning”, is an emerging three dimensional mapping technology that employs a laser and a rotating mirror or housing to rapidly scan and image volumes and surficial areas such as rock slopes and outcrops, buildings, bridges and other natural and man-made objects. Ground-based or terrestrial LiDAR refers to tripod-based measurements, as opposed to airborne LiDAR measurements made from airplanes or helicopters. The purpose of this report was to determine whether the new technology of ground-based LiDAR could assist FHWA with highway rock slope stability. This report includes discussions of currently available LiDAR hardware and software, the current state of LiDAR for highway geotechnical applications (rock mass characterization, rockfall characterization, as-built 3D measurements), best practices for field scanning and for point cloud data processing, and expected trends in the industry in the near future. It is shown in this report that some of the most important types of geotechnical information for rock slope stability that is currently being collected by hand can be acquired from LiDAR point clouds and associated digital images. This includes detailed information about rock discontinuity orientation, roughness, length, spacing and block size. In many cases, this information can be automatically acquired using currently available point cloud processing software. There are advantages to using LiDAR for collecting this information, including improved safety, accuracy, slope access, and speed of analysis. It is recommended that LiDAR be utilized for future highway slope stability projects.
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Content Notes:COTR: Justin Henwood, FHWA-CFLHD. Advisory Panel Members: Alan Blair, Matt DeMarco, and Roger Surdahl, FHWA-CFLHD; and Scott Anderson, FHWA-FLH. This project was funded under the Federal Lands Highway Technology Deployment Initiatives and Partnership Program (TDIPP.)
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