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Review
. 2021 Dec 30;22(1):265.
doi: 10.3390/s22010265.

Application of Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry

Chao Wu  1 , Yongbo Yuan  1 , Yang Tang  1 , Boquan Tian  1
Affiliations
Review

Application of Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry

Chao Wu et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

As a revolutionary technology, terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is attracting increasing interest in the fields of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC), with outstanding advantages, such as highly automated, non-contact operation and efficient large-scale sampling capability. TLS has extended a new approach to capturing extremely comprehensive data of the construction environment, providing detailed information for further analysis. This paper presents a systematic review based on scientometric and qualitative analysis to summarize the progress and the current status of the topic and to point out promising research efforts. To begin with, a brief understanding of TLS is provided. Following the selection of relevant papers through a literature search, a scientometric analysis of papers is carried out. Then, major applications are categorized and presented, including (1) 3D model reconstruction, (2) object recognition, (3) deformation measurement, (4) quality assessment, and (5) progress tracking. For widespread adoption and effective use of TLS, essential problems impacting working effects in application are summarized as follows: workflow, data quality, scan planning, and data processing. Finally, future research directions are suggested, including: (1) cost control of hardware and software, (2) improvement of data processing capability, (3) automatic scan planning, (4) integration of digital technologies, (5) adoption of artificial intelligence.

Keywords: architecture; citespace; engineering and construction (AEC); point cloud; terrestrial laser scanning (TLS).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Working principle of a laser scanner.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flowchart of literature retrieval.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Annual publications from 2009 to 2021 (half-year).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Top 10 journals in terms of publication number and number of citations.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Network of co-occurrence keywords.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Network of document co-citation.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Distribution of applications of TLS in the AEC industry.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Examples of a building. (a) 2D blueprint; (b) 3D BIM; (c) point cloud [14].
Figure 9
Figure 9
Workflow of TLS.
Figure 10
Figure 10
The classification of error sources.
Figure 11
Figure 11
The functional model of scan planning.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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