Accuracy Assessment of Low-Cost Lidar Scanners: An Analysis of the Velodyne HDL–32E and Livox Mid–40’s Temporal Stability
Identifying and mitigating sources of measurement error is a critical task in geomatics research and the geospatial industry as a whole. In pursuit of such error, accuracy assessments of lidar data have revealed a range bias in low-cost scanners. This phenomenon is a temporally correlated instabilit...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/17/4220 |
| _version_ | 1827665137601871872 |
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| author | Carter Kelly Benjamin Wilkinson Amr Abd-Elrahman Orlando Cordero H. Andrew Lassiter |
| author_facet | Carter Kelly Benjamin Wilkinson Amr Abd-Elrahman Orlando Cordero H. Andrew Lassiter |
| author_sort | Carter Kelly |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Identifying and mitigating sources of measurement error is a critical task in geomatics research and the geospatial industry as a whole. In pursuit of such error, accuracy assessments of lidar data have revealed a range bias in low-cost scanners. This phenomenon is a temporally correlated instability in the lidar scanner where the measured distance between target and sensor changes over time while both are held stationary. This research presents an assessment of two low-cost lidar scanners, the Velodyne<sup>®</sup> HDL–32E and Livox<sup>®</sup> Mid–40, in which their temporal stability is analyzed and methods to mitigate systematic error are implemented. By immobilizing each scanner as it observes a stationary target surface over the course of multiple hours, trends in scanner precision are identified. Scanner accuracy is then determined using a terrestrial lidar scanner, the Riegl<sup>®</sup> VZ-400, to observe both subject scanner and target, and extracting the distances between scanner origin and observed surface. Patterns identified in each scanner’s distance measurements indicate temporal autocorrelation, and, by exploiting the high linear correlation between scanner internal temperature and measured distance in the HDL–32E, it is possible to mitigate the resulting error. Application of the proposed solution lowers the Velodyne<sup>®</sup> scanner’s measurement RMSE by over 60%, providing levels of measurement accuracy comparable to more expensive lidar systems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:19:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-afd686e5193946fcb801d0babbb02ffd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:19:15Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-afd686e5193946fcb801d0babbb02ffd2023-11-23T14:02:57ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922022-08-011417422010.3390/rs14174220Accuracy Assessment of Low-Cost Lidar Scanners: An Analysis of the Velodyne HDL–32E and Livox Mid–40’s Temporal StabilityCarter Kelly0Benjamin Wilkinson1Amr Abd-Elrahman2Orlando Cordero3H. Andrew Lassiter4Geospatial Information Science Program, Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, United States Military Academy (USMA), West Point, NY 10996, USAGeomatics Program, School of Forestry, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USAGeomatics Program, School of Forestry, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USAGeomatics Program, School of Forestry, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USAGeospatial Modeling and Applications (GMAP) Lab, School of Forestry, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USAIdentifying and mitigating sources of measurement error is a critical task in geomatics research and the geospatial industry as a whole. In pursuit of such error, accuracy assessments of lidar data have revealed a range bias in low-cost scanners. This phenomenon is a temporally correlated instability in the lidar scanner where the measured distance between target and sensor changes over time while both are held stationary. This research presents an assessment of two low-cost lidar scanners, the Velodyne<sup>®</sup> HDL–32E and Livox<sup>®</sup> Mid–40, in which their temporal stability is analyzed and methods to mitigate systematic error are implemented. By immobilizing each scanner as it observes a stationary target surface over the course of multiple hours, trends in scanner precision are identified. Scanner accuracy is then determined using a terrestrial lidar scanner, the Riegl<sup>®</sup> VZ-400, to observe both subject scanner and target, and extracting the distances between scanner origin and observed surface. Patterns identified in each scanner’s distance measurements indicate temporal autocorrelation, and, by exploiting the high linear correlation between scanner internal temperature and measured distance in the HDL–32E, it is possible to mitigate the resulting error. Application of the proposed solution lowers the Velodyne<sup>®</sup> scanner’s measurement RMSE by over 60%, providing levels of measurement accuracy comparable to more expensive lidar systems.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/17/4220lidarUASaccuracy assessmentVelodyne HDL–32ELivox Mid–40range bias |
| spellingShingle | Carter Kelly Benjamin Wilkinson Amr Abd-Elrahman Orlando Cordero H. Andrew Lassiter Accuracy Assessment of Low-Cost Lidar Scanners: An Analysis of the Velodyne HDL–32E and Livox Mid–40’s Temporal Stability Remote Sensing lidar UAS accuracy assessment Velodyne HDL–32E Livox Mid–40 range bias |
| title | Accuracy Assessment of Low-Cost Lidar Scanners: An Analysis of the Velodyne HDL–32E and Livox Mid–40’s Temporal Stability |
| title_full | Accuracy Assessment of Low-Cost Lidar Scanners: An Analysis of the Velodyne HDL–32E and Livox Mid–40’s Temporal Stability |
| title_fullStr | Accuracy Assessment of Low-Cost Lidar Scanners: An Analysis of the Velodyne HDL–32E and Livox Mid–40’s Temporal Stability |
| title_full_unstemmed | Accuracy Assessment of Low-Cost Lidar Scanners: An Analysis of the Velodyne HDL–32E and Livox Mid–40’s Temporal Stability |
| title_short | Accuracy Assessment of Low-Cost Lidar Scanners: An Analysis of the Velodyne HDL–32E and Livox Mid–40’s Temporal Stability |
| title_sort | accuracy assessment of low cost lidar scanners an analysis of the velodyne hdl 32e and livox mid 40 s temporal stability |
| topic | lidar UAS accuracy assessment Velodyne HDL–32E Livox Mid–40 range bias |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/17/4220 |
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