lidar - thomaspingel/advanced_remote_sensing GitHub Wiki

Getting Data

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Getting Started

Lidar is a laser scanning technology used to create 3D models of both interior and exterior spaces. The laser scanners themselves can be flown on an aerial platform such as an airplane or helicopter (ALS), mounted on a drone (DLS), mounted on tripods for terrestrial use (TLS), or mounted on another mobile system like a backpack (MLS). The outputs of such systems are called point clouds, which usually consist of millions or billions of irregular individual points along the surfaces of the study area. Point clouds are often processed to create 3D meshes, which are "solid" digital models. Aerial lidar data generally has a resolution of 5-15 points per square meter, while terrestrial scanners may produce hundreds or thousands of points per square meter. Lidar data is generally distributed as binary LAS files or compressed versions called LAZ files. There are many alternative formats as well, some using simple CSV-style encoding. Lidar data will always include the 3D positions of each point (x,y,z) but may also contain much additional ancillary information, including the intensity of the return, a color value, and a number of other attributes.

To get started learning about lidar the following resources may be helpful:

Hardware

There are a wide variety of lidar sensors available. Our group tends to focus on smaller, inexpensive mobile units like:

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Software

State Lidar Portals
ME
MN VT NH
WA ID MT ND WI IL MI NY MA
OR NV WY SD IA IN OH PA NJ CT RI
CA UT CO NE MO KY WV VA MD DE
AZ NM KS AR TN NC SC
OK LA MS AL GA
HI AK TX FL

Mobile lidar units

Ice-Sat 2

Popular Press Articles

FAQ

  • How many ground points does it take to make a DTM?
    • 2 per grid cell. 1, 2
  • How do you make a profile and download LAS data in Potree

References