=== Q: What is the file format for my ASCII LiDAR data files? === '''A:'''[[BR]] For ASCII files containing 8 columns (data delivered in 2009 and 2010) the files are formatted as follows: ` Time, Easting, Northing, elevation, intensity, classification, return number, scan angle rank ` For ASCII files containing 9 columns (data delivered from 2011 to 2015) the files are formatted as follows: ` Time, Easting, Northing, elevation, intensity, classification, return number, number of returns for given pulse, scan angle rank ` This information is also given in the readme file included with the data delivery. Each entry in the list is a single LiDAR return. If you prefer to deal with LAS format data, the text files can be converted to LAS format using third-party software (see [wiki:FAQ/las2ascii Converting ASCII files to LAS]). Data flown with before 2009 the [wiki:Sensors/OptecLIDAR Optec LiDAR] use a different format with first and last return on the same line. These files can be converted to LAS using the script [https://github.com/pmlrsg/arsf_tools/blob/master/convert_pre2009_lidar.py `convert_pre2009_lidar.py`]. [wiki:FAQ Back to FAQ]