Planar target utilizing absolute return intensity as a 3rd dimension to be control and validation for a 3-d point cloud

Two dimensional targets with varying designs are common tools used as control and validation for 3D models derived from TLS (Terrestrial Laser Scanning) data. Return measurements from TLS generate geometric data points in a plane from the surfaces of the targets. Since the measurements on the targets are orderly in spacing but random with respect to specific locations (i.e. the controlling center) with TLS, image matching is a technique used to fit models of the targets to the measurements of the target. Image matching techniques require a high density of return measurements from the target to accurately determine the controlling position of the target, which is not always available depending on the resolution of the collected data. Functional surfaces contain 2.5 dimensions of data; 2 dimensions of planimetric data, and a 3rd dimension that is an interpolated value, giving in total, 3 dimensions worth of data. Before corrections, TLS data contains x, y, z, and absolute intensity values from each measurement.