Version 3 (modified by dac, 7 years ago) (diff)

Added link to DEM scripts.

Do the NERC-ARF supply a DTM/DSM from LiDAR data?

A common product for users to create from LiDAR data is a Digital Surface Model (DSM), which represents the elevation at the top of buildings / forest canopy and a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) which is the 'bare Earth' elevation (i.e., it doesn't include the height of buildings or vegetation).

We supply a LiDAR DSM, including a version patched with a courser resolution elevation model (normally ASTER) for use in APL for processing hyperspectral data. However, we don't provide a DTM with standard deliveries.

There are a number of programs which can generate a DTM by classifying ground returns then interpolating to fill in gaps. If you are unsure where to start our DEM scripts have an interface for generating a DTM or DSM, which is able to use a number of software packages (some free some paid for). For more details see the following tutorial given as part of our NERC-ARF workshop (contact us for details on the next course).

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