What is LiDAR?

LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) is an optical remote sensing technology that combines laser light and positioning measurements to provide highly accurate digital elevation. LiDAR instruments are used for surveying and mapping to capture points on a surface of an object to create a point cloud. Data are commonly distributed in the ASPRS LAS format, which is a public file format for the interchange of LiDAR data. LiDAR can be used to map a variety of features including the ground surface, vegetation cover, buildings and more. Point cloud collection includes the following:

  • Airborne LiDAR data collected by sensors mounted to an airborne platform (fixed wing or rotary wing) to rapidly generate surface models

  • Imagery Derived Point Clouds that capture the terrain created from stereo imagery and collected photogrammetrically using pixel correlation

  • Terrestrial LiDAR (or ground-based) data collected by tripod-based measurement devices

  • Mobile LiDAR data collected while moving from a device mounted to a collection vehicle (such as an automobile, train or helicopter)

Screenshots

  • LIDAR Terrain Detail
    LIDAR Terrain Detail
    It’s amazing the difference in detail you can make out if you view a LIDAR dataset using sun-angle shading as opposed to a traditional grey-scale (or even color ramped) display. Here you can see all the detail on the Swiss hillside such as the crop rows, the pathways and so on. Plus you can see the roof slopes, A/C ducts and all sorts of details that are too subtle to see in the greyscale display.
  • LIDAR Painted Relief
    LIDAR Painted Relief
    Painted relief (a variant of shaded relief using a standardized color palette) display of a LIDAR dataset over Cherokee County, GA used to visualize changes in micro relief due to urbanization and other human impacts on the watershed.
  • Objective LIDAR Change Detection
    Objective LIDAR Change Detection
    IMAGINE Objective Feature Model being used to detect new building activity between two dates of Leica ALS60 data over Heerbrugg, Switzerland.
  • Demolished Buildings
    Demolished Buildings
    Using IMAGINE Objective with multi-date LIDAR data to show the detection of buildings which have suffered damage or demolition (such as for disaster mapping). The LIDAR is shown as a sun-angle shaded representation at two date and the IMAGINE Objective results are shows as a vector overlay on the raw height data.
  • New Building Detection
    New Building Detection
    Using IMAGINE Objective with multi-date LIDAR data to show the detection of new building activity (to determine legality and tax status). The LIDAR is shown as a sun-angle shaded representation at two date and the IMAGINE Objective results are shows as a vector overlay on the raw height data.
  • Under Construction
    Under Construction
    IMAGINE Objective identifies two buildings under construction using three ALS70 data layers of Bregenz, Austria (March, May and June, 2011)
  • Manage and Deliver LIDAR data with ERDAS APOLLO
    Manage and Deliver LIDAR data with ERDAS APOLLO
    The ERDAS APOLLO solution fully supports LiDAR data crawling, cataloging and delivery via download or web services. A grid representation of the LAS file is automatically generated for easy styling and viewing in the Data Manager and any web client application. For example, here we are viewing this LiDAR data with a hillshade style.
  • LiDAR Analysis in ERDAS IMAGINE
    LiDAR Analysis in ERDAS IMAGINE
    This shows a classified LiDAR dataset of a power line corridor with the ground class turned off. We see the planimetric view and 3 profile views, and we are measuring encroaching vegetation.
  • RGB Encoded LiDAR in ERDAS IMAGINE
    RGB Encoded LiDAR in ERDAS IMAGINE
    This shows a LiDAR dataset that has been RGB encoded in 2D and 3D.
  • Lidar Across Track Profile and Along Track Profile
    Lidar Across Track Profile and Along Track Profile
    Visualize point clouds along track or across track profile view.

 

Below is an outline of LiDAR capabilities within Intergraph’s portfolio of products. To learn more about other LiDAR offerings within the Hexagon family, please visit the Leica Geosystems and Intergraph websites.


ERDAS IMAGINE

With ERDAS IMAGINE you can:

  • Directly display LAS format point clouds as grey-scale, level-sliced pseudo-color or relief-shaded surfaces
  • Fly through such surfaces in 3D using IMAGINE VirtualGIS
  • Create derived products such as painted relief images, intervisibility analyses, slope and aspect
  • Extract features such as buildings and trees
  • Perform change detection between two or more dates of LiDAR data such as to map earthquake damage or to identify illegal building activity

LPS

In LPS eATE you can:

  • Use distributed processing to generate dense point clouds
  • Encode each point with the RGB value of the pixel from which it was derived, providing a photorealistic point cloud
  • Classify output points as bare earth, building and vegetation
  • Thin the output LAS file for easier downstream manipulation

With the Terrain Prep tools, you can:

  • Merge multiple elevation data sources for a continuous surface
  • Split large LAS files into project areas or more manageable files
  • Generate a raster surface for many visualizations and analyses
  • Thin and filter your LAS data
  • Create contours

ERDAS APOLLO

ERDAS APOLLO enables users to discover and serve large collections of LiDAR data:

  • Automatically catalog their LAS data holdings and search the catalog
  • Use queries based on rich metadata and spatial extents
  • Preview the results of the queries
  • View the data using styles
  • Download the data in either the original LAS format or as a DEM to use in desktop applications
  • Clip and ship the DEM

GeoMedia Grid

With Intergraph's GeoMedia Grid you can:

  • Process and analyze large collections of LAS formatted LiDAR Files
  • Leverage LiDAR attributions (such as Classification, Scan Direction, Edge of Flight) to interactively query LAS files
  • Create high resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) for input into a wide variety of analysis
  • Easily save and share LiDAR processing workflows



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