What is terrestrial laser scanning?

Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) captures data with very high accuracy, down to ±1-2 mm. It is ideal where tolerances are tight and the details are small.

How is mobile SLAM different?

Mobile SLAM is optimised for large areas: 20,000-30,000 m² per day while the facility stays in operation.

Which one is more accurate?

TLS. Static scanning reaches ±1-2 mm on the detail that needs to be verified. Mobile SLAM is accurate enough for overviews, quantity take-off and coordination, but it does not match TLS on a single critical detail.

Can the two methods be combined?

Yes, often the best approach is to combine them: mobile SLAM for the overall capture and terrestrial laser scanning where you need extra accuracy.

What do we get delivered?

A measurable model in the browser, together with point cloud, CAD or BIM – regardless of which capture method was used.

Terrestrial laser scanning vs mobile SLAM

Two capture methods dominate reality capture of buildings and infrastructure: terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and mobile SLAM. They are often presented as competitors. In practice they answer different questions, and the choice comes down to what your tolerances are and how much area you have to cover.

Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS)

TLS captures data with very high accuracy, down to ±1-2 mm. It is the right choice when tolerances are tight and the area is limited: a plant room, a facade detail, a machine foundation or a structural connection that has to be verified against the drawing.

That makes TLS the natural choice when the details matter more than speed.

Mobile SLAM

Mobile SLAM is optimised for large areas and for environments where the operation needs to stay running.

That changes the arithmetic completely: 20,000-30,000 m² per day, with nobody moved out of the way and nothing shut down. It also makes it realistic to rescan the same space several times during a project instead of once at the start.

Side by side

Accuracy: TLS ±1-2 mm. Mobile SLAM is sufficient for as-built documentation, take-off and coordination, but not for a single millimetre-critical detail.
Area per day: Mobile SLAM covers 20,000-30,000 m². TLS is best suited to limited areas and individual details.
Disruption: Mobile SLAM runs while the operation continues. TLS requires a short interruption on the active location.
Best for: TLS for tight tolerances on a limited area. Mobile SLAM for whole buildings, sites, tunnels, garages and portfolios.
Deliverables: The same either way, point cloud, CAD or BIM, and a measurable model in the browser.

How to choose

Start from the tolerance, not the technology. If a decision in the project depends on a millimetre, choose static scanning for that part. If the question is what the building actually looks like today, mobile SLAM gives you the whole picture in a fraction of the time.

On larger projects it often makes sense to combine them: mobile SLAM for the whole and terrestrial laser scanning where you need extra accuracy.

Where this shows up in practice

On a construction project you get a true-to-reality basis that can be used in tender and decision workflows. On facility operations it means checking the state of things without shutting anything down. In both cases the deliverable is the same: a measurable model anyone can open with a link.

See what we deliver for construction and property→

Not sure which method your project needs? Tell us about the site and we will tell you.