After earthquake survey of the structural state of a building by a Robotic Total Station: metrological aspects

In this paper the authors aim to study the in-field metrological characteristics of a Robotic Total Station (RTS), for the survey of the structural state of buildings damaged by an earthquake. In particular, the ability of the RTS to acquire points from very narrow angles with respect to the façade is stressed, to identify acceptable operating limits with respect to the application requirements. The paper will illustrate the methodology developed and the results of the tests carried out in a real scenario on a damaged historic house. The study can be useful to the people involved in emergency activities to evaluate the reliability of data when the constraints imposed by the real scenario do not allow for optimal configurations.