Registration of ground‐based LiDAR point clouds by means of 3D line features

Abstract

Techniques for extracting data from LiDAR point clouds can be refined for increased accuracy. In this paper, the authors elaborate on an innovative approach for registering ground‐based LiDAR point clouds using overlapping scans based on 3D line features. The proposed working scheme consists of three major kernels: a 3D line feature extractor, a 3D line feature matching mechanism, and a mathematical model for simultaneously registering ground‐based LiDAR point clouds of multi‐scans on a 3D line feature basis. All processing chains in this study are featured efficiently and come close to meeting the needs of practical usage. Experiments conducted show the proposed method of employing 3D line features to be a useful alternative or complement to point, surface and other features for LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) point clouds registration. It is especially effective in areas rich in man‐made structures.