Comparing ALS and Image-Based Point Cloud Metrics and Modelled Forest Inventory Attributes in a Complex Coastal Forest Environment

By Joanne C. White, C. Stepper, P. Tompalski, Nicholas C. Coops, M. Wulder. 2015

153 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Digital aerial photogrammetry (DAP) is emerging as an alternate data source to airborne laser scanning (ALS) data for three-dimensional characterization of forest structure. In this study we compare point cloud metrics and plot-level model estimates derived from ALS data and an image-based point cloud generated using semi-global matching (SGM) for a complex, coastal forest in western Canada. Plot-level estimates of Lorey's mean height (H), basal area (G), and gross volume (V) were modelled using an area-based approach. Metrics and model outcomes were evaluated across a series of strata defined by slope and canopy cover, as well as by image acquisition date. We found statistically significant differences between ALS and SGM metrics for all strata for five of the eight metrics we used for model development. We also found that the similarity between metrics from the two data sources generally increased with increasing canopy cover, particularly for upper canopy metrics, whereas trends across slope classes were less consistent. Model outcomes from ALS and SGM were comparable. We found the greatest

Subfields: Environmental Engineering, Geology, Nature and Landscape Conservation

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/38ff23910e8116cf3480f4c94fa68ef0afaf2685

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In Environmental Engineering

  1. Lin Cao
  2. Honghua Ruan
  3. Hao Liu
  4. Zhengnan Zhang
  5. Xiaoyao Fu

In Geology

  1. Lin Cao

In Nature and Landscape Conservation

  1. Lin Cao
  2. Honghua Ruan
  3. Hao Liu
  4. Zhengnan Zhang
  5. Xiaoyao Fu

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