**5. Conclusion**

Experience from this experimental work with intensity-based 3D texture model indicates a promising future for refined exploration of cave interiors at exceptionally high level of accuracy and details in areas that would challenge even the most adventurous caver. It is a paradigm shift from the era in which darkness in cave was seen as a major obstacle to visualization and information extraction. Given the versatility of laser-scanning data as demonstrated in this chapter, it is plausible to submit that further research will be required to adequately harness the invaluable information therein embedded. This we believe is necessary to enhance further cave research and development. It is expected that as processing capabilities improve along with powerful sensor development, more applications are expected to emerge. The design of powerful modelling packages like ReCap 360 which performs parallel computing for 3D modelling and texturing bypasses the usually time-consuming matching of laser scans and photos and the associated manual editing. Similarly, increasing availability of other third-party point cloud oriented application software (open source and commercial) is broadening the sphere of possibilities with laser-scanning data. This development would change the phase of cave investigation across the different professional interest groups.

In terms of details, the full-scan model offers incredible clarity; objects as small as giant spiders and millipedes can be detected and measured. This is why it was evaluated for archaeological documentation. In the future, transmission of this information on the web can multiply its values and enhance knowledge sharing across platforms and agencies. The limitation of this approach is that it has no spatial analysis capability. Again, the problem of poor illumination still persists with natural RGB colour images, although it has little to do with geomorphological and geological applications such as those presented in this chapter.
