Collecting and Processing GCPs in Lixel Studio | XGRIDS K1, L2

This technical guide demonstrates how to collect ground control points (GCPs) over the course of an XGRIDS SLAM LiDAR scan to link your data accurately to real-world coordinates captured via an external GNSS receiver. Tying spatial scanner sweeps directly to physical control markers ensures high-accuracy georeferencing and proper site alignment during point cloud post-processing loops.

Software Specifications

Lixel Studio version 3.2.0.0 is utilized for this processing demonstration. It is critical to recognize the specific coordinate system and formatting parameters required by this version of the desktop environment:

• Linear Units: Imperial measurement variations are not natively supported in this revision; all baseline calculations use metric linear units.
• Height Reference: Orthometric height profiles cannot be processed directly; coordinates must be supplied in Ellipsoidal Height values.
• Grid Projections: State Plane coordinate projections are unsupported. For regional compatibility, control coordinates should be collected via global frameworks such as UTM Projections (e.g., UTM Zone 17N).
• File Format Suffix: The expected structured formatting string for importing external control point text lists or CSV files is explicitly PENZD (Point name, Easting, Northing, Elevation, Description).

Field Target Acquisition

Executing a clean geolocation workflow requires careful coordination between your primary satellite tracking receiver and your terrestrial SLAM hardware during site mapping:

• First, position your Emlid GNSS receiver assembly squarely over your physical site targets to record the absolute real-world coordinate baselines.
• Next, activate your handheld XGRIDS Lixel K1 or L2 Pro terrestrial scanner to record the environment. As you move smoothly along your scan trajectory path, capture those same identical physical control features as internal GCP landmarks within the mobile app capture UI.
• Once data collection is complete, export your logged GNSS positions out as a standard CSV control file, and transfer the raw mission data directory completely off the internal scanner storage hardware.

Lixel Studio Processing

With field data compiled, launch Lixel Studio on your workstation and construct a fresh desktop project file structure. Follow these steps to compute the final georeferenced output:

• Navigate to the interface menu panel options and select the Project Processing module block.
• Browse your file system to target the raw mission directory pulled off your handheld scanner hardware.
• Disable Internal GNSS: Explicitly uncheck the internal GNSS parameter option checkbox, because the final spatial alignment will be driven directly by your surveyed ground control data.
• Under the dedicated GCP parameters panel, select your custom CSV text file containing the compiled PENZD coordinates.
• Click on the GCP Edit action card to carefully evaluate your project dataset. Ensure that the real-world positions captured via your GNSS receiver match up accurately with the corresponding target points registered during the terrestrial SLAM path.

To prevent processing errors, select the Check utility option. The software algorithm automatically evaluates your spatial pairs and explicitly warns you if any outlier coordinate anomalies or projection errors require manual adjustment. Finally, designate your target destination folder path, and select Start to compile the cleaned-up, fully geolocated point cloud asset.