Open Source Tools for Processing of Raw LiDAR Observations

这笔EAR地理信息学计划赠款将支持开发一套开源工具，使光探测和测距(LiDAR)数据的用户能够通过从原始LiDAR观测(即距离、角度、强度、位置、姿态)开始创建点云和衍生产品，这是目前使用现有存档数据集和软件无法实现的。这项提议的广泛目标是：(A)使研究人员能够开发和定制激光雷达后处理，以优化数据质量，满足科学驱动的空间和精度要求；(B)使科学家能够专注于科学问题，而无需考虑耗时的重新格式化、数据存储地理参考和误差估计任务。所开发的工具将可用于处理和分析机载激光雷达、移动激光扫描(MLS)观测和静态地面(三脚架)激光雷达数据，并允许工具处理完整的波形观测。高分辨率激光雷达地形图的科学应用横跨地貌学、大地测量学、水文学、林业和资源管理等领域。使用激光雷达测绘进行研究的地球科学家的数量正在迅速增长。该项目将支持一名研究生，所产生的软件将通过开放地形门户网站分发给用户，并将是开放源码的。将通过计划的重点地球科学和遥感讲习班，利用所开发的工具包进行培训。*

This EAR Geoinformatics Program grant will support development of a suite of open source tools to allow users of Light detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data the ability to create point clouds and derivative products by starting at the raw LiDAR observations (i.e. range, angle, intensity, position, attitude), which is currently not possible using existing archived datasets and software. Broad objectives of this proposal are (a) to empower the researcher to exploit and tailor LiDAR post-processing to optimize data quality and meet science driven spatial and accuracy requirements and (b) to empower the scientist to focus on science questions without the need to consider time-consuming reformatting, data storage georeferencing and error estimation tasks. The developed tools would be amendable to both processing and analysis of airborne LiDAR, mobile laser scanning (MLS) observations, and static terrestrial (tripod) LiDAR data and would allow for tools to process full waveform observations. Scientific applications of high resolution LIDAR surface mapping span the fields of geomorphology, geodesy, hydrology, forestry, and resource management to name a few. The number of geoscientists employing LIDAR mapping for research is growing rapidly. A graduate student will be supported by this project and the resultant software will be distributed to users through the OpenTopography web portal and will be open source. Training with the developed tool set will be conducted through planned focused Earth science and remote sensing workshops.***