Assessment of the metrological properties of a handheld MLS point cloud for geodetic field surveys

A 3D point cloud is a collection of millions of spatial points that faithfully capture object shape and structure. Handheld mobile laser scanners are increasingly adopted because they enable rapid and complete acquisition. This paper evaluates the geometric and metrological quality of a point cloud collected with a handheld MandEye PRO scanner based on the Livox Mid-360 from an architectural object, using terrestrial laser scanning with a Leica ScanStation P40 and a network of total station control points as references. Point-like, linear, and planar features were assessed by registration to the control frame, segment-length comparisons, plane fitting, and cloud-to-cloud distance analysis. After registration, root mean square errors on control points fall within 0.02–0.19 m (mean 0.08 m). Segment lengths are consistent to within a single centimetre across handheld MLS, TLS, total station measurements, and direct field readings, while the differences in areas of fitted planes are 0.7–1.9%. Local deviations concentrate along edges and in shadowed zones, indicating sensitivity to trajectory coverage and sampling density. In well-covered regions, the overall agreement between MLS and TLS remains stable, whereas gaps in visibility or sparse sampling lead to localised discrepancies. The results show that, in this configuration, handheld mobile scanning provides accuracy consistent with the requirements of geodetic documentation while offering high acquisition efficiency. These findings support the use of handheld MLS for architectural surveying and geodetic fieldwork, provided that route planning and sampling are designed to ensure robust coverage of critical facades, edges, and occluded areas.