Metrologically significant software for evaluating the accuracy characteristics of ground-based laser coordinate measuring systems: initial assessment of functionality

An experimental analysis of the software used to calculate the coordinates of the centers of reference spheres using laser coordinate measuring systems was performed. It was found that the analyzed software of the manufacturers of laser coordinate measuring systems is redundant in functionality and is intended for the implementation of a complex of large scientific and educational projects, but is not intended to solve the problems of metrological support of laser coordinate measuring systems. The considered software examples are not metrological programs and require optimization for their use for metrology purposes. The problem of high-precision processing of measurement data (three- dimensional point clouds) when assessing the metrological characteristics of ground-based laser coordinate measuring systems was solved. Software (an algorithm for processing measurement results) was developed that allows determining the coordinates of the center of the reference sphere with a reserve of metrological accuracy sufficient for calibration by the main characteristic of measuring instruments such as absolute trackers and scanners. An algorithm implemented in the MATLAB software environment is proposed, which allows one to recognize a sphere from a set of measured spatial data and calculate the coordinates of its center location, thereby qualitatively assessing the main metrological characteristic of laser coordinate measuring systems. The results of an experiment using the proposed algorithm for calculating the coordinates of the centers of reference spheres included in the reference complex of three-dimensional measurements (coordinate measurements, coordinate increments) in the range of 0–60 m from the State primary special standard of a unit of length GET 199-2024 are presented. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is confirmed by the results of real measurements. In the future, the developed algorithm will be included in the special software, which will find application in the work of standardization and metrology centers, as well as accredited metrology laboratories, and will allow us to come to a unified method for processing the results of measurements of absolute trackers, terrestrial laser scanners and their analogues.

1. Seldyushov A. A. Using a laser scanner to simplify object BIM creation. Colloquium-journal, (9-1(96)), 59–61 (2021). (In Russ.) https://elibrary.ru/tvbzqa

2. Silvestrov I. S., Pecheritsa D. S., Mazurkevich A. V., Karaush E. A., Lesnichenko V. I. Metrological support of coordinate and coordinate-time measuring instruments in the Russian Federation. Geoprofi, (6), 8–14 (2023). (In Russ.)

3. Mazurkevich A. V. Improvement of the State primary special standard of the unit of length GET 199-2018 in order to ensure the uniformity of measurements for high-precision total stations in the mode of three-dimensional measurements. Proc. X International Symposium “Metrology of Time and Space”, Mendeleevo, October 6–8, 2021, 131–134. VNIIFTRI, Mendeleevo (2021). (In Russ.) https://elibrary.ru/ticeee

4. Mazurkevich A. V. Metrological support of laser coordinate measuring systems. Geodesy, cartography, geoinformatics and cadastres. Production and education. Collection of materials of the IV All-Russian Scientifi c and Practical Conference 2021, St. Petersburg, November 2–3, 2021, pp. 148–153. Polytechnic, St. Petersburg (2021). (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.25960/7325-1191-8

5. Golub D. A., Mazurkevich A. V. A complex for metrological support of laser coordinate measuring systems. Materials of the VI Scientifi c and Practical conference of young scientists, postgraduates and specialists “Metrology in the XXI century”. Mendeleevo, March 22, 2018, pp. 67–72. VNIIFTRI, Mendeleevo (2019). (In Russ.) https://elibrary.ru/zezxqt

6. Lesnichenko V. I. Improvement of methods for determining the accuracy characteristics of absolute trackers. Materials of the IX Scientifi c and Practical conference of young scientists, postgraduates and specialists “Metrology in the XXI century”. Mendeleevo, March 25, 2021, pp. 82–87. VNIIFTRI, Mendeleevo (2022). (In Russ.) https://elibrary.ru/qpczex

7. Denisenko O. V., Silvestrov I. S., Mazurkevich A. V., Golub D. A., Pecheritsa D. S., Frolov A. A. Сhanges in the updated state verifi cation schedule for coordinate-temporal measurement instruments. Al’manac of Modern Metrology, (3(19)), 25–30 (2019). (In Russ.) https://www.elibrary.ru/bmcjox

8. Donchenko S. I., Denisenko O. V., Silvestrov I. S., Mazurkevich A. V., Lesnichenko V. I. GET 199-2024 State primary special standard of the unit of length: assurance of measurement uniformity in high-precision total stations and their counterparts in threedimensional measurement mode. Measurement Techniques, 67(1), 11–19 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11018-024-02315-z

9. Muralikrishnan B. Performance evaluation of terrestrial laser scanners – a review. Measurement Science and Technology, 32(7), 072001 (2023). http://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6501/abdae3

10. Rachakonda P., Muralikrishnan B., Cournoyer L., Sawyer D. Software to determine sphere center from terrestrial laser scanner data per ASTM standard E3125-17. Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 123, 123006 (2018). https://doi.org/10.6028/jres.123.006

11. Bukin A. G., Sadekov R. N., Makhaev A. Yu. Application of the RANSAC method in the problem of stereo-visual odometry. Izvestiya Instituta inzhenernoy phiziki, (4(26)), 67–69 (2012). (In Russ.) https://elibrary.ru/pncget

12. Boström G., João G. M. Gonçalves, Sequeira V. Controlled 3D data fusion using error-bounds. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 63(1), 55–67 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2007.07.011