A History of Laser Scanning, Part 1: Space and Defense Applications

Abstract

This article presents the origins and evolution of midrange terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), spanning primarily from the 1950s to the time of publication. Particular attention is given to developments in hardware and software that document the physical dimensions of a scene as a point cloud. These developments include parameters for accuracy, repeatability, and resolution in the midrange—millimeter and centimeter levels when recording objects at building and landscape scales up to a kilometer away. The article is split into two parts: Part one starts with early space and defense applications, and part two examines the survey applications that formed around TLS technologies in the 1990s. The origins of midrange TLS, ironically, begin in space and defense applications, which shaped the development of sensors and information processing via autonomous vehicles. Included are planetary rovers, space shuttles, robots, and land vehicles designed for relative navigation in hostile environments like space and war zones. Key people in the midrange TLS community were consulted throughout the 10-year period over which this article was written. A multilingual and multidisciplinary literature review—comprising media written or produced in Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Italian, and Russian—was also an integral part of this research.