Automatic Breake-line Detection from Laser Scanner Data Using Surface Flatness

Recently, a laser scanner has been receiving more attention as a useful tool for real-time 3D data acquisition, and various applications such as city modelling, DTM generation and 3D modelling of cultural heritage were proposed. However, robust filtering for distinguish onand off-terrain points from point cloud 3D data collected by airborne laser scanner is still issues. In particular, filtering of point cloud 3D data collected by terrestrial laser scanner has more severe problems caused by many occlusion parts, windows, few the deepest points, wall of buildings and so on. With this motive, robust filtering and break-line detection method using surface flatness was developed by the authors in 2004. However, the method needs any manual setting. This issue becomes a particularly serious problem in break-line detection for various objects. In order to perform manual setting for break-line detection, automatic break-line detection method by using variation of flatness will be described in this paper.