How LiDAR Data is Helping Industry Professionals?

The LiDAR industry has sky-rocketed and has been reaching every industry gradually for all good reasons. LiDAR technology has helped in producing higher-quality results than traditional techniques used earlier, and this has created a huge accomplishment to a large extent by automatically collecting measurements very densely. There are many benefits offered by LiDAR technology such as LiDAR mapping services, LiDAR data processing workflow, and 3D scanning. It is ideal for generating DEM/DTM (Digital Elevation Model, Digital Terrain Model) and contours. LiDAR has to be the most cost-effective method of capturing detailed height data.

Geospatial Industry Demand:
Government, Intelligence, Natural Resources (Extraction & Management), as well as marketing and consumer electronics companies are seeking to use point clouds and computer algorithms to process them to make technology more interactive and informative. The outbreak of LiDAR data, particularly in the geospatial community in the last 5 to 7 years. It has streamlined feature extraction while maintaining accuracy. 

LiDAR data in the geospatial industry has been categorized in terms of processing approach and application based on its collection methods, that is Airborne & Terrestrial. 

1. Airborne LiDAR Data Processing  
Airborne LiDAR can be point-sensed from overhead in a fixed-wing aircraft flyover, which yields a higher resolution of points. The most common approach and the most easily implementable is a height based segmentation of features. This is most commonly applied for data collected from fixed wings and helicopter aerial flyovers, but it can also be applied to terrestrial point clouds as well. 

2. Terrestrial LiDAR Data Processing
Terrestrial LiDAR can be deployed from a fixed position on a tripod system, or from having the sensors affixed to sensors like Vehicles, boats, and remote control sensing robots. Each data collection method is dependent on the necessary precision of the application but has a different processing approach.   

LiDAR Data Processing: 
LiDAR data products can be used in the generation of the digital elevation model, LiDAR mapping, generation of elevation profile, Digital surface models (DSM), and Digital Terrain Models (DTM) as raster countermodels, surface, and land use characterization. The processing approach is very simple. Subtract the bare earth surface (DEM) from the DSM to obtain a normalized DSM. This produces a heat map of structures above the ground, with the height value representing the relative distance from the ground.

Most Used LiDAR Data Processing Services in the Industry:

• Generation of Elevation Profiles
• Ground & Cliff Classification
• Digital Surface Model
• TIN and contour Generation
• Topographic Survey & Planning with Mobile Mapping
• Hydro Classification
• DEM/DTM Generation 

Conclusion:
A lot of industries are benefited from LiDAR data processing services, helping industry professionals to boost their business growth. It’s going to be bigger and better in the coming days and professionals are required to update themselves with the new changing technology.