scholarly journals Machine Learning Algorithms to Predict Tree-Related Microhabitats using Airborne Laser Scanning

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (13) ◽  
pp. 2142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Santopuoli ◽  
Mirko Di Febbraro ◽  
Mauro Maesano ◽  
Marco Balsi ◽  
Marco Marchetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Airborne Laser Scanning ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithms ◽  
Hierarchical Level ◽  
Height Distribution ◽  
Airborne Laser ◽  
Crown Density

In the last few years, the occurrence and abundance of tree-related microhabitats and habitat trees have gained great attention across Europe as indicators of forest biodiversity. Nevertheless, observing microhabitats in the field requires time and well-trained staff. For this reason, new efficient semiautomatic systems for their identification and mapping on a large scale are necessary. This study aims at predicting microhabitats in a mixed and multi-layered Mediterranean forest using Airborne Laser Scanning data through the implementation of a Machine Learning algorithm. The study focuses on the identification of LiDAR metrics useful for detecting microhabitats according to the recent hierarchical classification system for Tree-related Microhabitats, from single microhabitats to the habitat trees. The results demonstrate that Airborne Laser Scanning point clouds support the prediction of microhabitat abundance. Better prediction capabilities were obtained at a higher hierarchical level and for some of the single microhabitats, such as epiphytic bryophytes, root buttress cavities, and branch holes. Metrics concerned with tree height distribution and crown density are the most important predictors of microhabitats in a multi-layered forest.

scholarly journals ANALYSIS OF 3D BUILDING MODELS ACCURACY BASED ON THE AIRBORNE LASER SCANNING POINT CLOUDS

2018 ◽  
Vol XLII-2 ◽  
pp. 797-804 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Ostrowski ◽  
M. Pilarska ◽  
J. Charyton ◽  
K. Bakuła
Keyword(s):  
Point Cloud ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
3D Models ◽  
Airborne Laser Scanning ◽  
Aerial Images ◽  
Statistical Parameters ◽  
Airborne Laser ◽  
Building Models

Creating 3D building models in large scale is becoming more popular and finds many applications. Nowadays, a wide term “3D building models” can be applied to several types of products: well-known CityGML solid models (available on few Levels of Detail), which are mainly generated from Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data, as well as 3D mesh models that can be created from both nadir and oblique aerial images. City authorities and national mapping agencies are interested in obtaining the 3D building models. Apart from the completeness of the models, the accuracy aspect is also important. Final accuracy of a building model depends on various factors (accuracy of the source data, complexity of the roof shapes, etc.). In this paper the methodology of inspection of dataset containing 3D models is presented. The proposed approach check all building in dataset with comparison to ALS point clouds testing both: accuracy and level of details. Using analysis of statistical parameters for normal heights for reference point cloud and tested planes and segmentation of point cloud provides the tool that can indicate which building and which roof plane in do not fulfill requirement of model accuracy and detail correctness. Proposed method was tested on two datasets: solid and mesh model.

scholarly journals Building Change Detection of Airborne Laser Scanning and Dense Image Matching Point Clouds using Height and Class Information

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Florian Politz ◽  
Monika Sester ◽  
Claus Brenner
Keyword(s):  
Change Detection ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Image Matching ◽  
Point Cloud ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Airborne Laser Scanning ◽  
Height Distribution ◽  
Airborne Laser ◽  
Dense Image

Abstract. Detecting changes is an important task to update databases and find irregularities in spatial data. Every couple of years, national mapping agencies (NMAs) acquire nation-wide point cloud data from Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) as well as from Dense Image Matching (DIM) using aerial images. Besides deriving several other products such as Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) from them, those point clouds also offer the chance to detect changes between two points in time on a large scale. Buildings are an important object class in the context of change detection to update cadastre data. As detecting changes manually is very time consuming, the aim of this study is to provide reliable change detections for different building sizes in order to support NMAs in their task to update their databases. As datasets of different times may have varying point densities due to technological advancements or different sensors, we propose a raster-based approach, which is independent of the point density altogether. Within a raster cell, our approach considers the height distribution of all points for two points in time by exploiting the Jensen-Shannon distance to measure their similarity. Our proposed method outperforms simple threshold methods on detecting building changes with respect to the same or different point cloud types. In combination with our proposed class change detection approach, we achieve a change detection performance measured by the mean F1-Score of about 71% between two ALS and about 60% between ALS and DIM point clouds acquired at different times.

scholarly journals Airborne laser scanning applied to eucalyptus stand inventory at individual tree level

2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (12) ◽  
pp. 1373-1382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diogo Nepomuceno Cosenza ◽  
Vicente Paulo Soares ◽  
Helio Garcia Leite ◽  
José Marinaldo Gleriani ◽  
Cibele Hummel do Amaral ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Equation System ◽  
Airborne Laser Scanning ◽  
Tree Level ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Local Maxima ◽  
Airborne Laser

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the application of airborne laser scanning (ALS) to a large-scale eucalyptus stand inventory by the method of individual trees, as well as to propose a new method to estimate tree diameter as a function of the height obtained from point clouds. The study was carried out in a forest area of 1,681 ha, consisting of eight eucalyptus stands with ages varying from four to seven years. After scanning, tree heights were obtained using the local maxima algorithm, and total wood stock by summing up individual volumes. To determine tree diameters, regressions fit using data measured in the inventory plots were used. The results were compared with the estimates obtained from field sampling. The equation system proposed is adequate to be applied to the tree height data derived from ALS point clouds. The tree individualization approach by local maxima filters is efficient to estimate number of trees and wood stock from ALS data, as long as the results are previously calibrated with field data.

scholarly journals An Adaptive Surface Interpolation Filter Using Cloth Simulation and Relief Amplitude for Airborne Laser Scanning Data

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 2938
Author(s):  
Feng Li ◽  
Haihong Zhu ◽  
Zhenwei Luo ◽  
Hang Shen ◽  
Lin Li
Keyword(s):  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Airborne Laser Scanning ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Cloth Simulation ◽  
Cloud Data ◽  
Interpolation Filter ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Surface Interpolation ◽  
Airborne Laser

Separating point clouds into ground and nonground points is an essential step in the processing of airborne laser scanning (ALS) data for various applications. Interpolation-based filtering algorithms have been commonly used for filtering ALS point cloud data. However, most conventional interpolation-based algorithms have exhibited a drawback in terms of retaining abrupt terrain characteristics, resulting in poor algorithmic precision in these regions. To overcome this drawback, this paper proposes an improved adaptive surface interpolation filter with a multilevel hierarchy by using a cloth simulation and relief amplitude. This method uses three hierarchy levels of provisional digital elevation model (DEM) raster surfaces with thin plate spline (TPS) interpolation to separate ground points from unclassified points based on adaptive residual thresholds. A cloth simulation algorithm is adopted to generate sufficient effective initial ground seeds for constructing topographic surfaces with high quality. Residual thresholds are adaptively constructed by the relief amplitude of the examined area to capture complex landscape characteristics during the classification process. Fifteen samples from the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) commission are used to assess the performance of the proposed algorithm. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method can produce satisfying results in both flat areas and steep areas. In a comparison with other approaches, this method demonstrates its superior performance in terms of filtering results with the lowest omission error rate; in particular, the proposed approach retains discontinuous terrain features with steep slopes and terraces.

scholarly journals Regional Modeling of Forest Fuels and Structural Attributes Using Airborne Laser Scanning Data in Oregon

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 261
Author(s):  
Francisco Mauro ◽  
Andrew T. Hudak ◽  
Patrick A. Fekety ◽  
Bryce Frank ◽  
Hailemariam Temesgen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Point Cloud ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Semiparametric Models ◽  
Airborne Laser Scanning ◽  
Parametric Models ◽  
Fuel Load ◽  
Forest Fuels ◽  
Airborne Laser

Airborne laser scanning (ALS) acquisitions provide piecemeal coverage across the western US, as collections are organized by local managers of individual project areas. In this study, we analyze different factors that can contribute to developing a regional strategy to use information from completed ALS data acquisitions and develop maps of multiple forest attributes in new ALS project areas in a rapid manner. This study is located in Oregon, USA, and analyzes six forest structural attributes for differences between: (1) synthetic (i.e., not-calibrated), and calibrated predictions, (2) parametric linear and semiparametric models, and (3) models developed with predictors computed for point clouds enclosed in the areas where field measurements were taken, i.e., “point-cloud predictors”, and models developed using predictors extracted from pre-rasterized layers, i.e., “rasterized predictors”. Forest structural attributes under consideration are aboveground biomass, downed woody biomass, canopy bulk density, canopy height, canopy base height, and canopy fuel load. Results from our study indicate that semiparametric models perform better than parametric models if no calibration is performed. However, the effect of the calibration is substantial in reducing the bias of parametric models but minimal for the semiparametric models and, once calibrations are performed, differences between parametric and semiparametric models become negligible for all responses. In addition, minimal differences between models using point-cloud predictors and models using rasterized predictors were found. We conclude that the approach that applies semiparametric models and rasterized predictors, which represents the easiest workflow and leads to the most rapid results, is justified with little loss in accuracy or precision even if no calibration is performed.

scholarly journals Highway alignments extraction and 3D modeling from airborne laser scanning point clouds

2021 ◽  
Vol 102 ◽  
pp. 102429
Author(s):  
Yuzhou Zhou ◽  
Ronggang Huang ◽  
Tengping Jiang ◽  
Zhen Dong ◽  
Bisheng Yang
Keyword(s):  
3D Modeling ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Airborne Laser Scanning ◽  
Airborne Laser

scholarly journals Forest Road Status Assessment Using Airborne Laser Scanning

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 501-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katalin Waga ◽  
Piotr Tompalski ◽  
Nicholas C Coops ◽  
Joanne C White ◽  
Michael A Wulder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Airborne Laser Scanning ◽  
Height Distribution ◽  
Forest Roads ◽  
The Road ◽  
Airborne Laser ◽  
Independent Field ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Forest roads allow access for silvicultural operations, harvesting, recreational activities, wildlife management, and fire suppression. In British Columbia, Canada, roads that are no longer required must be deactivated (temporarily, semipermanently, or permanently) in order to minimize the impact on the overall forested ecosystem. However, the remoteness and size of the road network present challenges for monitoring. Our aim was to examine the utility of airborne laser scanning data to assess the status and quality of forest roads across 52,000 hectares of coastal forest in British Columbia. Within the forest estate, roads can be active or deactivated, or have an unknown status. We classified road segments based on the vegetation growth on the road surface, and edges, by classifying the height distribution of airborne laser scanning returns within each road segment into four groups: no vegetation, minor vegetation, dense understory vegetation, and dense overstory vegetation. Validation indicated that 73 percent of roads were classified correctly when compared to independent field observations. The majority were classified as active roads with no vegetation or deactivated with dense vegetation. The approach presented herein can aid forest managers in verifying the status of the roads in their management area, especially in remote areas where field assessments are costly and time-consuming.

Large-scale prediction of aboveground biomass in heterogeneous mountain forests by means of airborne laser scanning

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (9) ◽  
pp. 1138-1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Maltamo ◽  
O.M. Bollandsås ◽  
T. Gobakken ◽  
E. Næsset
Keyword(s):  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Airborne Laser Scanning ◽  
Mountain Forests ◽  
Airborne Laser ◽  
Model Predictions ◽  
Growing Conditions ◽  
Southern Norway ◽  
Forest Conditions

This study considered airborne laser scanning (ALS) based aboveground biomass (AGB) prediction in mountain forests. The study area consisted of a long transect from southern Norway to northern parts of the country with wide ranges of elevation along a long latitudinal gradient (58°N–69°N). This transect was covered by ALS data and field data from 238 plots. AGB was modeled using different types of predictor variables, namely ALS metrics, variables related to growing conditions (elevation, latitude, and climatic variables), and tree species information. Modelling of AGB in the long transect covering diverse mountainous forest conditions was challenging: the RMSE values were rather large (37%–70%). The effects of growing conditions on model predictions were minor. However, species information was essential to improve accuracy. The analysis revealed that when doing inventories of spruce-dominated areas, all plots should be pooled together when the models are developed, whereas if pine or deciduous species dominate the area in question, separate dominant species-wise models should be constructed.

scholarly journals MULTISPECTRAL AIRBORNE LASER SCANNING FOR AUTOMATED MAP UPDATING

2016 ◽  
Vol XLI-B3 ◽  
pp. 323-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leena Matikainen ◽  
Juha Hyyppä ◽  
Paula Litkey
Keyword(s):  
Change Detection ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Airborne Laser Scanning ◽  
Aerial Images ◽  
Sensor Technology ◽  
Classification Error ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Airborne Laser ◽  
Map Updating

During the last 20 years, airborne laser scanning (ALS), often combined with multispectral information from aerial images, has shown its high feasibility for automated mapping processes. Recently, the first multispectral airborne laser scanners have been launched, and multispectral information is for the first time directly available for 3D ALS point clouds. This article discusses the potential of this new single-sensor technology in map updating, especially in automated object detection and change detection. For our study, Optech Titan multispectral ALS data over a suburban area in Finland were acquired. Results from a random forests analysis suggest that the multispectral intensity information is useful for land cover classification, also when considering ground surface objects and classes, such as roads. An out-of-bag estimate for classification error was about 3% for separating classes asphalt, gravel, rocky areas and low vegetation from each other. For buildings and trees, it was under 1%. According to feature importance analyses, multispectral features based on several channels were more useful that those based on one channel. Automatic change detection utilizing the new multispectral ALS data, an old digital surface model (DSM) and old building vectors was also demonstrated. Overall, our first analyses suggest that the new data are very promising for further increasing the automation level in mapping. The multispectral ALS technology is independent of external illumination conditions, and intensity images produced from the data do not include shadows. These are significant advantages when the development of automated classification and change detection procedures is considered.

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