Terrestrial laser scanning point clouds as a data source for geometric analysis and inventory of hydraulic structures

Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) has become one of the key technologies for surveying and documenting engineering objects, including large-scale and hard-to-access hydraulic structures. Water dams are a prominent example with considerable spatial dimensions, complex geometry, and critical importance for technical and environmental safety. This calls for modern, precise, and comprehensive documentation methods. TLS enables the acquisition of dense three-dimensional spatial data in the form of point clouds, providing a robust basis for geometric inventorying, visualization, and assessment of structural condition. This study uses TLS datasets acquired for the Rożnów and Klimkówka dams to produce 2D technical documentation, 3D models, and geometric analyses of the dams and their associated components. The point clouds support surface-based evaluation of object geometry, verification of structural continuity and integrity, detection of shape changes, and analysis of spatial relationships between the dams and their surroundings. An additional advantage of point clouds is the reusability of the acquired data: cross-sections, plans, and visualizations can be generated repeatedly at later stages without the need for renewed field surveys. The results demonstrate the high utility of TLS as a support for geometric inventorying, technical condition assessment, and long-term monitoring of water dams, particularly in the case of large, geometrically complex hydraulic structures.