Civil and Environmental Research www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1719 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2863 (Online) Vol 2, No.10, 2012 39 3D Geospatial modeling of accident scene using Laser Scanner data R. Ehigiator – Irughe 1* , M. O. Ehigiator 2,1 1 Siberian State Geodesy Academy, Department of Engineering Geodesy and GeoInformation Systems, Novosibirsk, Russia. 2 Faculty of Basic Science, Department of Physics and Energy, Benson- Idahosa University, Benin City, Nigeria. *raphehigiator@yahoo.com, 1 geosystems_2004@yahoo.com Abstract The aim of traffic reconstruction is to recreate motor vehicle collision scenes in order to analyze the dynamics of the collision events, to provide evidence in court cases and allow the manufacturers to evaluate the vehicle’s design. However, at the scene of the accident it is not known exactly the amount of information that will be required for the analysis and often relevant data are missing. The emergence of terrestrial laser scanning has enabled the 3D documentation of accident events in a safer way, as information can be collected without any lane closures or traffic interruptions, and in a more flexible and faster way, as a single user can operate the instrument in complete darkness or direct sunlight. The notion of this paper is to model accident scene using terrestrial laser scanning data. With the intersection-related crashes making up a high proportion of total fatal crashes, there is a need for recording their current status in order to improve the design and operation of road intersections. Terrestrial laser scanning provides the capability of recording such infrastructures in a fast and reliable way, where a number of different information, including traffic control features, volumes, accident characteristics and detailed spatial data, can be easily obtained. This information can then be integrated within traffic management integrated systems and be used for accident prevention purposes. Keywords: Terrestrial laser scanner (TLS), Momentum, speed, Accuracy. 1.0 Introduction Traffic accidents can occur whenever significant deficiencies, oversights, errors, omissions, or unanticipated changes are present. Any one of these conditions can be a precursor for an accident; the only uncertainty is when the accident will occur and the degree of the accident. To conduct a complete accident/incident investigation, the factors contributing to an accident, as well as the means to prevent accidents, must be clearly understood. However, most are caused. Understanding how to prevent or control traffic accidents requires knowledge of the sequence of events leading to an accident, in order to identify and implement counter measures. Therefore, the process of accident reconstruction can be considered as a sequence of operations involving the collection of data about the road transportation components (road, vehicles and people) and continues through inferences and conclusions about the sequence of events that constitute the accident and the relationship of these components during the events [6] Five levels of activity in accident investigation are: (a) reporting, where basic data collection is used to identify and classify an accident, (b) at-scene investigation, whereby extra data are collected at the accident scene along with the results of the accident, such as marks on the road and debris, tire marks etc, (c) technical follow-up, which studies all available data relating to an accident, such as speed and acceleration of vehicles, visibility of vehicles, pedestrians etc, and is undertaken for legal and other specific purposes, (d) professional reconstruction which determines from the available data how the road, driver and vehicle contributed to a particular accident, and (e) cause analysis, which determines from the available data why the accident happened (e.g. deficiencies of road or vehicle design). Clearly, the data collection and recording at the accident scene is the most critical aspect as they are needed in all the aforementioned five levels of investigation. Furthermore, traffic recording systems should be technologically sophisticated to provide more timely, fast, accurate, integrated, accessible and more standardized and uniform data. Also, the measurement process should be as least disruptive to traffic as possible and provide end products that are easily transformed to 2D drawings.