Processing and analysis of airborne full-waveform laser scanning data for the characterization of forest structure and fuel properties

P. Crespo-Peremarch; L.A. Ruiz

doi:10.4995/raet.2020.14551

Authors

P. Crespo-Peremarch Universitat Politècnica de València https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2241-4493
L.A. Ruiz Universitat Politècnica de València https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0073-7259

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4995/raet.2020.14551

Keywords:

LiDAR, terrestrial laser scanning, forest fuel, understory vegetation, processing tool

Abstract

This PhD thesis addresses the development of full-waveform airborne laser scanning (ALS_FW) processing and analysis methods to characterize the vertical forest structure, in particular the understory vegetation. In this sense, the influence of several factors such as pulse density, voxel parameters (voxel size and assignation value), scan angle at acquisition, radiometric correction and regression methods is analyzed on the extraction of ALS_FW metric values and on the estimate of forest attributes. Additionally, a new software tool to process ALS_FW data is presented, which includes new metrics related to understory vegetation. On the other hand, occlusion caused by vegetation in the ALS_FW, discrete airborne laser scanning (ALS_D) and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) signal is characterized along the vertical structure. Finally, understory vegetation density is detected and determined by ALS_FW data, as well as characterized by using the new proposed metrics.

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Author Biographies

P. Crespo-Peremarch, Universitat Politècnica de València

Geo-Environmental Cartography and Remote Sensing Group (CGAT), Department of Cartographic Engineering, Geodesy and Photogrammetry

L.A. Ruiz, Universitat Politècnica de València

Geo-Environmental Cartography and Remote Sensing Group (CGAT), Department of Cartographic Engineering, Geodesy and Photogrammetry

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