Working with LiDAR data

LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging. It is similar to radar-based images but uses finite laser beams that hit the ground hundreds of thousands of times per second to collect a huge amount of very fine (x, y, z) locations, as well as time and intensity. The intensity value is what really separates LiDAR from other data types. For example, the asphalt rooftop of a building may be of the same elevation as the top of a nearby tree, but the intensities will be different. Just like remote sensing, radiance values in a multispectral satellite image allow us to build classification libraries. The intensity values of LiDAR data allow us to classify and colorize LiDAR data.

The high volume and precision of LiDAR actually make it difficult to use. A LiDAR dataset is referred to as a point cloud because the shape of the dataset is usually irregular as the data is three-dimensional with outlying points. There are not many software packages that effectively visualize...