METHODOLOGICAL PROPOSAL FOR DIGITAL ELEVATION MODELING BY TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANNING WITH EMPHASIS ON ROUTE GEOMETRIC DESIGN

Abstract

In order to propose and evaluate a processing routine for data from the equipment Terrestrial Laser Scanning (LST) to produce contour curves to be used in road geometric design, this study case developed an alternative route in the campus of the Federal University of Viçosa. Data collected were processed in the software RiSCAN PRO and ArcGIS. Contour curves were generated in both softwares, but two different interpolators were tested in ArcGIS, and statistical filters were applied to the best result using values of the nearest neighbors, the mean and the minimum. LST equipment was efficient for unvegetated sites, generating contour curves of high quality and accuracy. However, in vegetated areas, the filtering process was inefficient, leaving points above the terrain quota and overestimating the volumes of land movement in earthwork projects. The most efficient statistical filter was the one using the mean values, because it eliminated the noise in contour curves and did not skew the model produced. In conclusion, the LST equipment can be used in road geometric design, provided that it is accompanied by conventional topography in densely vegetated areas. Keywords: Contour Curves, Vegetation, Land movement.