Undergraduate Project Idea's

forensic surveying? accident reconstruction? These are not boundary survey issues, but few things involving a scanner would be...

Maybe scan the facade of the Dublin Castle, or maybe Trinity College.

All that detail would look cool.

I don't think I've ever seen a scan of this place..

It would be a dazzling display.

The stakeout could take months. You would need several assistants, probably locals:

They would know the inexpensive places to set up your 'command post'..and where the good local food was located:

A project that only the most dedicated and focused surveyors should even consider. I'm sure it would be a truly life changing experience.

This might require supervision by an instructor who is a licensed surveyor, but you might contact some charities in the area who might have issues that need resolution, but who can't afford to hire a surveyor. For example, in my area the American Red Cross is thinking about putting up radio antennas atop a new tower.

Adding to Dan's list: crime investigation. It might be rather difficult to get actual field time with it though.

I saw a show on the Crime Investigation Network (CIN) one day where a landlord found a tenant dead in one of his rental houses. The guy gave a fairly detailed description of how he found the body but claimed he never entered the house but could see by looking through on open window. That didn't sound all too implausible since the man did own the house and would certainly know the floor plan and he and the tenant never had any troubles that anyone knew about it.

Then a scanner was brought in and they scanned the entire house and a floor plan was developed with all the details. i.e. doors, including swing directions, and more especially, the windows.
A keen observer noted the window where the landlord said he saw the crime scene. There was no possible way he could have seen the detail he had - unless he could see through walls. To be sure, they got "eye views" looking through all the windows and there was still no chance.
They brought the landlord back in he re-told the same story. Then they showed him the computer model they made. When confronted with that, he re-canted the story and fessed up. Case solved.

Find a complicated shape with flat surfaces and well defined detail edges.

Scan it from multiple pairs of occupation points

Using an EDM make 2D&2R measurements to an array of detail edges from all points with at least 2 different backsights, preferably all scan backsights.

It takes 3 points to define a corner and surface. Four points define a polygon.

Do comparative analysis of the data.

Paul in PA

Building DTM's from scan data for deformation monitoring of historic structures.

Considering the primary objective is to find something interesting but not too involved; i.e. this is an Undergraduate Project, I'll suggest a portion of a small cemetery that has headstones. That will allow multiple instrument set ups with no moving parts and is sufficiently detailed without becoming overwhelming.

Keep in mind: K.I.S.S.

Save the complex stuff for when you're licensed and the client is paying by the hour.

Undergraduate Project Ideas

Why did anybody need a model? Didn't the detectives stand there by the window and look?

Spelling police: someone at a university should know you don't form plurals with an apostrophe.

Undergraduate Project Ideas

> Why did anybody need a model? Didn't the detectives stand there by the window and look?

I don't recall Bill. I saw the show a couple years ago. Maybe they used the model to debunk his story or perhaps they used it as hard evidence to put before the jury for conviction. I really don't remember but do recall the model being crucial in nailing the case down.
E

> ...I'm trying to come up with some good ideas about what to do. I'm planning to use a Laser Scanner ...
So is the idea of your project to prove that you can use the scanner to create a map, to find a new and unique use for scanning, or to prove something about scanner use?

> small cemetery that has headstones. That will allow multiple instrument set ups with no moving parts....

Cliff, that there is stone cold cruel.

I'm in the same exact boat. I have to do something for a project next semester that eventually must be published. I'm still very undecided as to what I'm going to do and I have to start working on it in the spring. I was thinking of linking up a few cameras somehow (self calibrated of course) and writing some software that essentially makes terrestrial photogrammetry real-time such that you could do layout with it on the fly. Imagine instead of turning angles and distances, you setup 3 cameras, hit your control points (similar to localizing with GPS) and being able to use about $400 worth of electronics/software to do layout. Using 10 megapixel cameras at a 300ft range, I'm estimating I could have horizontal and vertical accuracies to within about 0.05'. The operation of this would be similar to GPS without the +$10,000 price tag. You could even use it to collect data on the fly if you wanted. I dunno, just something I was looking into.
My dad (a county surveyor here in Florida), is trying to convince me to setup a county-wide control network as my project. Like I said, I'm still undecided. I'll be glancing back at this post for more ideas.

> ... you setup 3 cameras, hit your control points (similar to localizing with GPS) and being able to use about $400 worth of electronics/software to do layout. Using 10 megapixel cameras at a 300ft range, I'm estimating I could have horizontal and vertical accuracies to within about 0.05'. The operation of this would be similar to GPS without the +$10,000 price tag.
There is a thing on the web called Photofly (I think) that will do something like this.

> My dad (a county surveyor here in Florida), is trying to convince me to setup a county-wide control network as my project. Like I said, I'm still undecided. I'll be glancing back at this post for more ideas.
Perhaps an OPUS-Projects campaign to reobserve a network of suitable surviving NGS monuments in your home county.

HA! That's hilarious! It never even occurred to me. 😀

Check out Geodetic Services, Inc. in Melbourne, Florida. Their real-time videogrammetry gear has been in operation at aircraft assembly plants for over 15 years. Their "STARS" system is the fanciest there is for on-the-fly metrology gear. The company was founded by the late Duane D. Brown, the Father of modern analytical photogrammetry. It's now run by his son, John.

tree counts, maybe been done.
laser scanner for topo, maybe old hat now.
hmmm, maybe I'm getting too over-experienced and normal to channel my inner 15-year old?
never. if you are ever out of ideas, just sit and count your blessings until you get a vision.
That laser scanner is a blessing, as are education, & beerleg, er, I mean SurveyorConnect here.
How do those blessings available to your unique genius solve a problem for someone, or extend upon a previous solution?

ok. here ya go:

creating 3D photogrammetry from resected/intersected point clouds (3D goggles etc)
Set up two or more free station points with overlapping visibility and see if you can make pretty 3D pictures or fly-bys with the point cloud.

maybe that's old hat too, by now. I think the crime scene guys have been doing it for a while.

You need your own idea and the best advice I can give is, as above, how to have a few of those.
The best projects are the ones where you decide to test whether the commonly accepted is true, and in so doing, you create and "own" that knowledge and are able to communicate it to others in a way that creates value.

A good idea is of value to someone, saves them money or liability, eases their pain, builds their dream, gives their kid a job, etc. Doesn't have to be a dramatic innovation, a new wrinkle that closes a loophole or adds a safety check to an existing process is a solid project. Add one thing, or change one variable, and talk about why and what happened and how it improved the process or made the world better. A documentable idea is better than an impractical grand idea. In so documenting, remember that people learn more from a narrative than from a table of numbers.

with a tip of the hat to Uncles Larry and Nate.
😉

My lecturer told me to prove something about the laser scanner use would be a good idea. For example carry out tests to measure the maximum measuring distance of the laser scanner and compare this to the manufacturers specifications. But to have a good academic standard the project would have to incorporate more than just this simple test. Im struggling to come up with ideas

I think you understand what I'm trying to do Cliff. But I would be thinking about something along the lines of testing atmospheric conditions that would affect the accuracies of the laser scanner. Have you any ideas on how to do this from your past experience?