Rašpor Pit (also known as Ponor Rašpor, Abisso Bertarelli, or Žankana jama), located in the Ćićarija region of Istria, is one of the most significant speleological sites in Croatia.

Its exploration history dates back to 1922, when Italian cavers—forced to stop in the village of Rašpor due to a vehicle breakdown—discovered the entrance and initiated a series of expeditions. Within just a few years, the cave gained recognition as the deepest explored cave in the world at the time.

Despite its long exploration history, technical limitations significantly influenced how subterranean spaces were documented. Prior to the widespread adoption of single-rope technique (SRT) and modern surveying tools, speleological work relied on handmade ropes, ladders, measuring tapes, and carbide lamps, resulting in limited precision and detail in collected data.

Recent advancements in mobile LiDAR technology have enabled a new level of accuracy and completeness in cave documentation. As part of this project, Rašpor Pit was captured using high-resolution 3D scanning to the depth of 210 m, resulting in the first digital model of its internal geometry. The outcome represents one of the deepest LiDAR scans of a cave in Croatia, and potentially beyond.

The project was carried out using advanced mobile LiDAR systems, combined with state-of-the-art data processing and spatial analysis workflows. The development of such methodologies has been strongly influenced by the international speleological community, including pioneering contributions from researchers such as Janusz Będkowski.

This project represents a convergence of a century-long speleological tradition and cutting-edge spatial technologies, demonstrating the key role of digital tools in understanding and managing karst environments.