The lack of noise reduction methods resistant to waveform distortion can hamper correct and accurate decomposition in the processing of full-waveform LiDAR data. This paper evaluates a time-domain method for smoothing and reducing the noise level in such data. The Savitzky-Golay (S-G) approach approximates and smooths data by taking advantage of fitting a polynomial of degree d, using local lea...

An accurate estimation of total biomass and its components is critical for understanding the carbon cycle in forest ecosystems. The objectives of this study were to explore the performances of forest canopy structure characterization from a single small-footprint Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) dataset using two different techniques focusing on (i) 3-D canopy structural information by discr...

The management and spatial-temporal integration of LiDAR data from different sensors and platforms has been impeded by lack of generic open source tools and standards. This paper presents a new open source software system, the sorted pulse data software library (SPDLib), that provides a processing framework based on an implementation of a new file format for the storage of discrete-return and w...

Today’s advanced LiDAR systems are able to record the entire laser echo pulse, provided that sufficient data storage is available on the airborne platform. The recorded echo pulses, frequently called waveform data or full-waveform, can then be used to analyze the properties of the reflecting surface, such as classifying objects based on their material signatures; for example, land classificatio...

Over the past decade, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Geodetic Survey, in collaboration with multiple organizations, has conducted research into airport obstruction surveying using airborne lidar. What was initially envisioned as a relatively straightforward demonstration of the utility of this emerging remote sensing technology for airport surveys was quickly sho...

The airborne laser scanning (ALS) data is becoming a standard approach for generating digital elevation model (DEM) in recent years. To generate the DEM, the ground points in the point clouds need to be classified firstly. Traditionally, the points provided by the multi-return LiDAR system only provide the three-dimension coordinates of points and the classification approaches normally can main...

We introduce a new approach to coherent lidar range-Doppler sensing by utilizing random-noise illuminating waveforms and a quantum-optical, parallel sensor based on spatial-spectral holography (SSH) in a cryogenically cooled inhomogeneously broadened absorber (IBA) crystal. Interference between a reference signal and the lidar return in the spectrally selective absorption band of the IBA is use...

This paper introduces LasTools, a new software suite for the operational processing of data from advanced airborne lidar sensor systems. LasTools provides the tools required to generate DSMs and DTMs from raw or basically preprocessed lidar data in a stand-alone application. It features intelligent management of project data, import and geocoding of raw lidar and image data, system calibration,...