RECONSTRUCTION OF BRIDGE SUPERSTRUCTURES FROM AIRBORNE LASER SCANNING POINT CLOUDS

Abstract. The paper deals with the 3D reconstruction of bridges from Airborne Laser Scanning point clouds and cadastral footprints. The generated realistic 3D objects can be used to enhance city models. While other studies have focused on bridge decks to fill gaps in digital elevation models, this paper focuses on the decomposition of superstructures into construction elements such as pylons, cables and arches. For this purpose, the bridge type is classified, and a combination of model-based and data-based methods is used that are built on the detection of arcs, catenaries, and line segments in the point clouds. The described techniques were successfully applied to create 3D models of the Rhine bridges in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.