Laser scanner surveys vs low-cost Surveys. A methodological comparison

The new developments in survey practice, until a few years ago represented only by laser scanner technologies, are now oriented towards low-cost solutions. New methodologies which make use of easily accessible instruments and software are beginning to spread in the domain of survey. The present study presents an analysis of the methodology called photomodelling. Based on the solid principles of photogrammetry and supported by new algorithms of multi image-matching, photomodelling makes possible to collect a great quantity of data by means of a simple camera. However, before the new methodology of survey can be considered a valid tool of analysis, it must undergo a series of verifications which will test its potentialities and possible limits. In the research presented here a comparison has been made between data obtained through photomodelling and those collected by suing two kinds of lasers: short range and long range