Laser scanning and CloudCUBE in extreme environments

The 2009 February issue of  “American Surveyor Magazine”, the monthly magazine on surveying published in the USA, is also on line. The cover and the first pages of the magazine February issue are dedicated to the multidisciplinary project concerning the Mexican caves of Naica. 

The article describes the geological setting, creation and evolution of the caves and their crystals. It goes into the difficulties of the speleological topographic survey and describes the advantages given by laser scanning technology.

The survey of two of the caves of Naica (Cueva de los Cristales and Cueva de las Espadas) performed by Virtualgeo is illustrated as application example of the use of laser scanner instrument in hypogeal contexts. “American Surveyor Magazine” explains how laser data were treated and elaborated to produce the first three-dimensional digital model of the Cave of the Crystals with CloudCUBE software.

( Click here to view the article in PDF format )