LiDAR Flashcards
What is ECV?
Essential Climate Variables, such as above ground biomass
What do ECV datasets support?
the UNFCC and the IPCC
What is a pro of LiDAR data?
3D
What is LiDAR data most used for in the UK?
flood modelling
What is 2.5D?
A 2D raster with each pixel containing 1 elevation value
What is a benefit of 2.5D?
It can be represented on paper without losing information
What does 3D account for the 2.5D doesn’t?
things that overlap each other
what are the three 3D data types?
point clouds, voxel space and geometric primitives
Give an example of an attribute a data point can have
properties of the object such as its colour or properties of the measurement such as laser return intensity
what is voxel space?
a volumetric pixel (3d grid wit attributes per grid cell
what do you need to consider when using voxel space?
you need to be careful about blank space
What are geometric primitives
a triangular mesh 3D dot to dot
what do geometric primitives let you do?
allows a shape to be built up, eg. spheres and cyclinders
What is a limitation of using geometric primitives?
Complex shapes can use a lot of memory
what is a useful 3D application in weather
predicting storm surges
What are the different DEMs?
Digital Terrain Model (DTM), Digital Surface Model (DSM) and Canopy Height Model (CHM)
What is the difference between a DTM and a DSM
DTM is bare ground elevation and DSM is the highest point elevation (tree tops and building roofs
Here is a list of applications
monitoring infrastructure, creating 3D models of fragile historic artefacts, ancient city footprints (Mexico jungle discovery)
What global forestry maps can be produced?
height, biomass, leaf area, structure
What is forestry data used for?
driving weather and vegetation models,
What is knowing forest structure useful for?
studying biodiversity
what can you achieve when surveying
you can collect data using GPS and total station. It’s accurate and allows context to be recorded. it can be used in forest when GPS doesn’t work
What is a limitation of surveying?
slow
photogrammetry
using views from multiple photographs
advantages of photogrammetry
Can be made using low cost cameras and rapidly collects large areas
Disadvantages of photogrammetry
requires recognisable features and you only see the top layer
which needs less signal processing. LiDAR or RADAR?
LiDAR, no need for unwrapping
Disadvantages of LiDAR
high energy requirements, limited coverage and cannot see through clouds
How does lidar work?
laser is used to emit a short pulse of light. we know the speed of light. travel time is used to measure range. GPS and interval navigation get instrument position. Attitude sensors and laser pointing are used to get direction of the laser beam
give the equation to get the distance from lidar instrument to the target
Distance = ( speed of light * time ) / 2
What are the 4 lidar platforms
Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS), Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS), Spaceborne LIDAR
What is the accuracy resolution and coverage of TLS
~5 mm accuracy, ~1 cm resolution, ~100 m coverage