Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems produce precise elevation data and intensity images in combination with inertial measuring unit (IMU) and GPS.

Advantages

The LIDAR technique can produce elevation models for larger areas than is possible with photogrammetric mapping. Furthermore, the LIDAR technique can be used during night and in cloudy weather, which eases the data capture. Therefore, LIDAR is preferred to photogrammetric mapping for different applications.

LIDAR is suitable for bare earth DTM generation, especially for areas covered by vegetation and for built-up areas. LIDAR systems also process multiple returns that can be used to discriminate power lines, vegetation canopies, buildings and underlying surface from LIDAR point clouds.

Our expertise

When processing LIDAR data, COWI India employs the various modules of the TerraSolid software package in conjunction with Microstation V8.

Being a member of the COWI group, the entire expertise of the COWI Group is available to COWI India including quality assurance of products generated by COWI India from LIDAR data.

COWI India provides the following LIDAR services:

• Generating the LIDAR from aircraft for data acquisition (in cooperation with COWI A/S).
• Basic processing of LIDAR data including GPS / IMU data.
• Automatic classification of points under ground and non-ground categories.
• Matching of LIDAR data of different flight lines.
• Classification of non-ground LIDAR points into various categories like buildings, high, medium and low vegetation, power lines, errors, etc.
• Editing of LIDAR points for each class.
• Generation of digital terrain models and digital surface models.
• Generation of orthophoto images and contours.