3D laser imaging using new photometric Gaussian range equation and Phong model reflection

This article tackles the challenging problem in creating 3D photorealistic scenes from mobile laser imaging data. The major disadvantage of this method is both its range and quality of reconstructed images. These parameters are strongly dependent among other on target materiel, size of the laser footprint and atmospheric attenuation. However, in this paper, we propose a new reformulation of the photometric Gaussian beam range equation on the basis of the Phong model reflection. The substantial contribution of this model in improving the quality of back return signals diffused from targets is confirmed. We prove that the novel model brings a capital gain in terms of the quality and maximum range of detection. This will increase significantly the resolution of reconstructed images and the accuracy of range measurement. Thus, the proposed approach appears promising for 3D active sensing for mapping and scenes modeling.