Error Distribution Pattern Analysis of Mobile Laser Scanners for Precise As-Built BIM Generation

Point clouds acquired by mobile laser scanners (MLS) are widely used for generating as-built building information models (BIM), particularly in indoor construction environments and existing buildings. While MLS offers fast and efficient scanning through SLAM technology, its accuracy and precision remains lower than that of terrestrial laser scanners (TLS). This study investigates the potential to improve MLS-based as-built BIM accuracy by analyzing and utilizing error distribution patterns inherent in MLS point clouds. Based on the assumption that each MLS device exhibits consistent and unique error distribution patterns, an experiment was conducted using three MLS devices and TLS-derived reference data. The analysis employed iterative closest point (ICP) registration and cloud-to-mesh (C2M) distance measurements on mock-ups with closed shapes. The results revealed that error patterns were stable across scans and could be leveraged as correction factors. In other words, the results indicate that when using MLS for as-built BIM generation, robust fitting methods have limitations in obtaining realistic object dimensions, as they do not account for the unique error patterns present in MLS point clouds. The proposed method provides a simple and repeatable approach for enhancing MLS accuracy, contributing to improved dimensional reliability in MLS-driven BIM applications.