Impact of Beam Diameter and Scanning Approach on Point Cloud Quality of Terrestrial Laser Scanning in Forests

In recent years, portable laser scanning devices and their applications in the context of forest mensuration have undergone rapid methodological technological developments. Devices become smaller, lighter, more affordable, whereas new data-driven methods software packages facilitated derivation information from point clouds. Thus, terrestrial (TLS) is now well established, laser–object interactions been studied using theoretical, modeling, experimental approaches. The representation scanned objects terms accuracy completeness a key factor for successful feature extraction. Still, little known about influence TLS survey properties on clouds complex scattering environments, such as forests. this study, we investigate beam diameter signal triggering quality forested environments. Based Swiss National Forest Inventory data, simulate measurements 684 virtual stands 3-D content creation suite. We show that small lack sufficient cloud they are further negatively influenced by large diameters, dense stands, distances device. provide simulations make it possible to derive rationale decisions regarding appropriate choice device configuration inventories.