Proof-of-concept study demonstrates smartphone LiDAR repeatability and morphological accuracy on degraded trails, highlighting accessible methods for recreational infrastructure monitoring.
The LiDAR sensor embedded in recent iPhone Pro devices offers new opportunities for rapid, low-cost, and spatially detailed assessment of outdoor recreational infrastructure. Framed within mobile sensing and IoT-based environmental monitoring, this proof-of-concept case study evaluates a smartphone-based LiDAR workflow for localized hiking trail assessment under dense canopy conditions. Four independent surveys of a degraded hiking trail section were conducted to assess inter-survey repeatability, agreement with conventional field measurements, and practical field applicability. The resulting three-dimensional models reproduced trail morphology, including incised tread sections, exposed roots, rocky surfaces, and localized irregularities relevant to trail-condition assessment. Repeated registrations demonstrated consistent cloud-to-cloud comparison metrics, while comparisons with field reference measurements showed good agreement in the representation of cross-sectional morphology and exposed root characteristics. Continuous surface reconstruction additionally supported exploratory identification of potential runoff pathways and relative surface depressions. Although limited to a single trail section and one smartphone–application combination (iPhone 13 Pro with Scaniverse), the evaluated workflow demonstrates potential as a rapid, accessible, and relatively low-cost approach for localized trail-condition assessment and provides a foundation for further evaluation in hiking trail monitoring.
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Fernandes et al. (2026) studied this question.
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