NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN LIDAR UAS SURVEYS. PERFORMANCE ANALYSES AND VALIDATION OF THE DJI ZENMUSE L1

Abstract. Thanks to the latest technological developments LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) sensors are no longer an exclusive feature of manned airborne platforms but they are close to becoming a commercial solution in the UAS (Uncrewed Aerial Systems) domain. The release on the market of the Zenmuse L1 by DJI (Dà-Jiāng Innovations) is a step further in this direction, thanks also to a substantial work of enhancement made by the Chinese company not only on the hardware side, but also on the software one. The research presented in this work is focused on the use of the L1 LiDAR for the 3D survey of built heritage, analysing the results of different tests to highlight first considerations on its performances and the point cloud quality. Considering its recent release, this sensor is still yet to be thoroughly analysed and validated and its performances to be assessed. LiDAR data has been acquired on a selected test site, documented also with traditional Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) and UAS photogrammetry. The latter techniques (supported also by a topographic survey) will thus be exploited to generate the ground reference and to assess the quality and accuracy of the L1 dataset.