Semi-automatic extraction of rock mass structural data from high resolution LIDAR point clouds

In this paper a Matlab tool called DiAna (Discontinuity Analysis), for the 2D and 3D geo-structural analysis of rock mass discontinuities on high resolution laser scanning data is presented. The proposed approach is able to semi-automatically retrieve some relevant rock mass parameters, namely orientation, number of sets, spacing/frequency (and derived RQD), persistence, block size and scale dependent roughness, by analyzing high resolution point clouds acquired from terrestrial or aerial laser scanners. In addition, with a specific DiAna option called filterveg, we are able to remove vegetation or other disturbing objects from the point cloud, which is one of the main problems in LIDAR data processing. Some examples of the proposed method have demonstrated its ability to investigate rock masses characterized by irregular block shapes, and suggest applications in the field of engineering geology and emergency management, when it is often advisable to minimize survey time in dangerous environments and, in the same time, it is necessary to gather all the required information as fast as possible. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.