Point Clouds in Forestry
Course Description
Application of photogrammetry and lidar technology in forestry. Review of geometry, trigonometry, and GIS concepts. Generation and classification of point clouds from passive and active sensors. Development of surface models. Integration of point clouds in GIS.
PREREQS: FE 257, GEOG 201, or equivalent, and MTH 241 or equivalent.
Learning Resources
All required learning resources are posted online on Canvas.
There is no textbook required for this class, as it combines complex topics that were not formally address together in one undergraduate textbook.
Measurable Student Learning Outcomes
Students completing this course will acquire knowledge on how photogrammetry and lidar operate, as well as how forest relevant information is extracted from point clouds. The course has three objectives:
- Proficiency in using GIS software, such as ArcGIS or QGIS
- Development of point clouds from images and laser scans
- Extraction of forestry relevant information from point clouds.
Course success is measured as 70 % or higher average for labs, midterm, and final exam.
Measurable learning outcomes:
Students completing this course will be able to:
- Create photogrammetric point clouds and orthorectified images from aerial photos
- Execute terrestrial laser scans with handheld devices
- Execute spatial analyses using vector data in a GIS environment
- Extract forest relevant information from point clouds, particularly ground identification
Course Content
Week | Topic | Lab |
1. | Introduction Review GIS | Spatial data and basic special analyses Quiz #1 |
2. | Lidar technology and products | Field lab: terrestrial laser scanning |
3. | Review Geometry | Geometry definition, postulates, and theorems |
4. | Review Trigonometry
| Basic trigonometric formula and their application in geometry |
5. | Photogrammetry |
|
6. | Orthorectification
| Photogrammetric tree measurements Quiz #2 |
7. | Photogrammetric point clouds and orthophotos | Generation of photogrammetric point clouds Quiz #3 |
8. | Point cloud classification | Classify point clouds and create surface models |
9. | DEM creation: DTM and DSM | Creation of DTM, DSM, and CHM Quiz#4 |
10. | Impact of algorithms on classification | Operations with DTM and DSM |