Continuous monitoring and surveying of our environment, its status and its processes, demands more precise and efficient descriptions. This is caused by the increasingly intensive but necessarily sustainable use of resources and by demands for the conservation of the environment. Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) is an established method to record 3-dimensional point clouds of the environment. With the currently used methods for calculating the point cloud from satellite navigation (e.g. GPS), inertial navigation and laser distance measurements, using airplanes or drones, the limits of automation, reliability and accuracy are currently reached.

Highest accuracy can only be guaranteed by manual intervention, whereas fully automated processes provide point clouds with lower reliability and accuracy. The goal of the project ZAP-ALS is to increase the reliability, automation, and precision of 3D point clouds from Airborne Laser Scanning. This will be achieved by new methods in processing. Instead of the current sequential consideration of the different data streams, an integrated, holistic consideration of all observations (GPS, inertial navigation, laser scanner) needs to be found. This allows mutual support, reliably detects gross errors, supports the flight path by observations from above (GPS) and below (laser scanning point cloud), and thus increases automation. The more accurate flight path then leads to more accurate point clouds. The research in ZAP-ALS will propose new methods that can be implemented by the company partner after successful project completion.

The partners are the company Riegl Laser Measurement Systems GmbH and the Department of Geodesy and Geoinformation of the Technische Universität Wien (GEO). Riegl is successfully positioned on the world market as a producer of first-class laser scanners and ZAP-ALS will promote this position through leadership in research based knowledge and awareness of the development possibilities. The research areas Photogrammetry and Engineering Geodesy of GEO are specialized in georeferencing of ALS data on the one hand and moving platform orientation on the other hand. ZAP-ALS is partly based on established partnership, but initiates new collaboration by adding engineering geodesy, satellite navigation, and intertial sensors in order to form a future-oriented cooperation.