LiDAR and Photogrammetry Data Evaluation from a Lava Tube Mission in Sicily

DOI:10.4121/0cc49d43-8a5c-453e-9370-8e9088b00b48.v1
The DOI displayed above is for this specific version of this dataset, which is currently the latest. Newer versions may be published in the future. For a link that will always point to the latest version, please use
DOI: 10.4121/0cc49d43-8a5c-453e-9370-8e9088b00b48

Datacite citation style

Romio, Francesco; Hidding, Arwin; Becoy, Alexander James; Henriette Bier; Calabrese, Giuseppe (2025): LiDAR and Photogrammetry Data Evaluation from a Lava Tube Mission in Sicily. Version 1. 4TU.ResearchData. dataset. https://doi.org/10.4121/0cc49d43-8a5c-453e-9370-8e9088b00b48.v1
Other citation styles (APA, Harvard, MLA, Vancouver, Chicago, IEEE) available at Datacite

Dataset

Delft University of Technology logo

Geolocation

Grotta di Monte Intraleo in Sicily
lat (N): 37.72035212979759
lon (E): 14.909336836895596
view on openstreetmap

Time coverage

2024-2025

Licence

CC BY 4.0

Interoperability

As part of the research presented in the paper: “LiDAR and Photogrammetry Data Evaluation from a Lava Tube Mission in Sicily”, conducted within the ESA co-funded Rhizome 2.0 project, this dataset documents the processing of the mapping data of Grotta di Monte Intraleo, a terrestrial lava tube on Mt. Etna, Sicily, serving as an analogue site for extraterrestrial exploration. The data available in this repository builds on previously published data, which is also available unprocessed, and supports comparative evaluations of LiDAR and photogrammetric approaches, informing habitat design strategies for the underground environments of Martian and Lunar lava tubes.

The dataset comprises three primary components:


  1. Final LiDAR Point Clouds: This file contains the complete registered and merged point cloud of Grotta di Monte Intraleo, alongside its processing history. Subfolders include the five Unregistered Parts (individual scans), Registered Parts (aligned using CloudCompare’s ICP Registration), and the Merged and Final Cloud. Additionally, the file includes the navigation mesh produced by the quadruped robot during autonomous traversal.
  2. Final Photogrammetric Point Cloud: This file contains the photogrammetric reconstruction of the lava tube, derived from two separate video footages and processed with the software Agisoft Metashape and CloudCompare. It includes both the Unmerged registered scans and the Merged final cloud.
  3. Cloud-to-Cloud Distance Analyses: This file provides quantitative comparisons of the datasets. It includes (a) distance analyses between LiDAR and photogrammetric point clouds (additional to the published paper), and (b) analyses of alignment error between individual LiDAR scans (as discussed in the paper).

Data processing was performed using the Open Source software CloudCompare, which employed ICP registration, Cloud-to-Cloud distance metrics, and Poisson surface reconstruction. Users can explore and visualize the datasets by installing CloudCompare and loading the .bin files.

This dataset has been curated to enable reproducible research in robotic mapping, autonomous navigation, and 3D reconstruction of subsurface environments. Beyond terrestrial applications, it contributes to the ongoing evaluation of lava tubes as candidates for sustainable extraterrestrial habitats.

History

  • 2025-09-26 first online, published, posted

Publisher

4TU.ResearchData

Format

CloudCompare .bin files

Funding

  • European Space Agency (grant code 4000141141/23/I-EF) [more info...] ESA
  • Erasmus+ [more info...] Erasmus+
  • TU Delft Robotics Institute [more info...] TU Delft Robotics Institute
  • Vertico [more info...] Vertico
  • Moonshot TU Delft Moonshot TU Delft

Organizations

University of Ferrara, Department of Architecture, Sealine Research Centre
TU Delft, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Department of Architecture, Building Knowledge
International Research School of Planetary Sciences (IRSPS)
Universitá “D’Annunzio” di Chieti e Pescara

DATA

Files (4)