Obtaining the Highest Quality from a Low-Cost Mobile Scanner: A Comparison of Several Pipelines with a New Scanning Device

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60460709%3A41320%2F25%3A102271" target="_blank" >RIV/60460709:41320/25:102271 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17152564" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17152564</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs17152564" target="_blank" >10.3390/rs17152564</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Obtaining the Highest Quality from a Low-Cost Mobile Scanner: A Comparison of Several Pipelines with a New Scanning Device

Original language description

The accurate measurement of the tree diameter is vital for forest inventories, urban tree quality assessments, the management of roadside and railway vegetation, and various other applications. It also plays a crucial role in evaluating tree growth dynamics, which are closely linked to tree health, structural stability, and vulnerability. Although a range of devices and methodologies are currently under investigation, the widespread adoption of laser scanners remains constrained by their high cost. This study therefore aimed to compare high-end laser scanners (Trimble TX8 and GeoSLAM ZEB Horizon) with cost-effective alternatives, represented by the Apple iPhone 14 Pro and the LA03 scanner developed by mapry Co., Ltd. (Tamba, Japan). It further sought to evaluate the feasibility of employing these more affordable devices, even for small-scale forest owners or managers. Given the growing availability of 3D-based forest inventory algorithms, a selection of such processing pipelines was used to assess the practical potential of the scanning devices. The tested low-cost device produced moderate results, achieving a tree detection rate of up to 78% and a relative root mean square error (rRMSE) of 19.7% in diameter at breast height (DBH) estimation. However, performance varied depending on the algorithms applied. In contrast, the high-end mobile laser scanning (MLS) and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) systems outperformed the low-cost alternative across all metrics, with tree detection rates reaching up to 99% and DBH estimation rRMSEs as low as 5%. Nevertheless, the low-cost device may still be suitable for scanning small sample plots at a reduced cost and could potentially be deployed in larger quantities to support broader forest inventory initiatives.

Czech name

—

Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

20705 - Remote sensing

Project

<a href="/en/project/TH74010001" target="_blank" >TH74010001: Mapping of forest health, species and forest risks using Novel ICT Data and Approaches</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Remote Sensing

ISSN

2072-4292

e-ISSN

2072-4292

Volume of the periodical

17

Issue of the periodical within the volume

JUL 23 2025

Country of publishing house

CH - SWITZERLAND

Number of pages

20

Pages from-to

1-20

UT code for WoS article

001551149600001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105013456427