A road surface scanning device and method for scanning a section of road in order to acquire road surface data, which in turn can be used to create a mathematical model of the road. In one embodiment, the road surface scanning device includes a frame, a carriage movably mounted to the frame, a scanner movably mounted to the carriage, and a pair of electric actuators that can move the scanner across the road surface. Information from adjacent scanner passes are electronically stitched together and, in a similar manner, information from adjacent surface segments are electronically joined to form a mathematical model of the road. Various techniques can then be used to process the road surface data and prepare it for use by other software applications.