Monitoring Bank Erosion in Hydroelectric Reservoirs With Mobile Laser Scanning

Bank erosion is caused by a set of factors requiring specific studies to understand them and their possible mitigation. Mobile laser scanning systems are applicable to the time-series analysis of survey data, mainly in areas with small changes over time, due to their high-spatial resolution and accuracy. Laser scanning systems equipped with global navigation satellite system/real-time kinematic (GNSS/RTK) positioning are advantageous because they demand fewer data postprocessing steps, and their accuracy is compatible with RTK accuracy. This study presents a set of techniques developed for marginal erosion monitoring using mobile laser scanning. Experiments to characterize the accuracy of surveys conducted with the mobile laser scanner MDL Dynascan M150 showed that the mean accuracy of surveys varies from 5 to 15 cm depending on the distance from the RTK base to the survey area. The results of an on-site case study are presented, which demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed techniques and proves to be a very promising technique to support research on soil erosion.