Apple has installed a LIDAR sensor in the latest generation of their devices. LIDAR technology has been on our radar for a long time.
For us the question now arises as to how far we can use the system for measurement, what levels of accuracy can we expect. How complicated is data acquisition and data processing? Can we generate real added value with this system or is it just a gimmick for technology enthusiasts?
That's why we tested the IPhone 12 and its LIDAR function and, as is usual with us, we tried to design a workflow from it.
What actually is LIDAR?
LIDAR is the English abbreviation of light detection and ranging. Basically, it is a radar-related technology for optical distance and speed measurement. With the difference that with LIDAR, laser beams are used for the measurements.
Which devices did we use for data acquisition?
You need the following products for this setup.
- Apple IPhone 12 Pro Max
- CADdy Geomatics control points
- Emlid Reach RS2
- WebCADdy
- 3D scanner app
workflow?
Lay out control points
LIDAR creates a point cloud with local coordinates, this can somehow be in space. So that we can use the generated data, we need control points for georeferencing. Sounds familiar? The process is similar to a flight with a UAS. The distribution of these points should therefore cover the area as well as possible and the control points should not be on a line. We used the CADdy Geomatics control points for the test.
Measure control points
We measured the control points with the WebCADdy app and an EMLID REACH RS2. Read the article here "WebCADdy measuring and staking out with the action buttons". We can also convert the coordinates to UTM here and have exported them as a classic coordinate file.
The 3D scanner app
To collect the data, we downloaded the 3D scanner app free of charge from the Apple Store. The application is kept very simple but offers us important options for exporting the recorded data.
The recording is easy, we start and see in the live image what data we have already recorded. After we have finished recording, the app can assign a color value to each point from the additional automatically generated images. Finally, we just have to export the data. There are many possibilities here, we have decided on a classic point cloud format for the further procedure.
In the article "With the iPhone to the exact 3D point cloud" we explain how the reading and georeferencing of the recorded data takes place in CADdy survey.
And finally ...
The data recording is very easy and quick, the only drawback is the range of the sensor (only a few meters).
Using it in a large area certainly doesn't make sense. But if the area is smaller and only serves to support a drone recording, for example, we have a clear added value. The open trench also seems to be a good use case. The data acquisition corresponds to our idea of "just measure".
