Combining QuickBird,LiDAR, and GIS topography indices to identify a single native tree species in a complex landscape using an object-based classification approach

There are now a wide range of techniques that can be combined for image analysis. These include the use of object-based classifications rather than pixel-based classifiers, the use of LiDAR to determine vegetation height and vertical structure, as well terrain variables such as topographic wetness index and slope that can be calculated using GIS. This research investigates the benefits of combining these techniques to identify individual tree species. A QuickBird image and low point density LiDAR data for a coastal region in New Zealand was used to examine the possibility of mapping Pohutukawa trees which are regarded as an iconic tree in New Zealand. The study area included a mix of buildings and vegetation types. After image and LiDAR preparation, single tree objects were identified using a range of techniques including: a threshold of above ground height to eliminate ground based objects; Normalised Difference Vegetation Index and elevation difference between the first and last return of LiDAR data to distinguish vegetation from buildings; geometric information to separate clusters of trees from single trees, and treetop identification and region growing techniques to separate tree clusters into single tree crowns. Important feature variables were identified using Random Forest, and the Support Vector Machine provided the classification. The combined techniques using LiDAR and spectral data produced an overall accuracy of 85.4% (Kappa 80.6%). Classification using just the spectral data produced an overall accuracy of 75.8% (Kappa 67.8%). The research findings demonstrate how the combining of LiDAR and spectral data improves classification for Pohutukawa trees.     

机载多光谱LiDAR的随机森林地物分类

机载多光谱LiDAR技术利用激光进行探测和测距,不仅可以快速获取地面物体的三维坐标,还可以获得多个波段的地物光谱信息,可广泛用于地形测绘、土地覆盖分类、环境建模、森林资源调查等。本文提出了多光谱LiDAR的随机森林地物分类方法。该方法通过对LiDAR强度数据和高程数据提取分类特征,完成多光谱LiDAR的随机森林地物分类;并分析随机森林的特征贡献度特性,采用后向特征选择方法实现分类特征选择。通过对加拿大Optech Titan多光谱LiDAR数据的试验表明：随机森林方法可以获得较好的地物分类精度,而且可以适当地去除部分冗余和相关的特征,从而有效提高分类精度。     

LiDAR数据中建筑物提取的新方法-Fc-S法

激光雷达技术(LiDAR)已广泛应用于数字高程模型(DEM)的快速获取和三维城市模型的建立中,但仍有许多不足之处,需要做更深入的研究。本文介绍了一种新的建筑物提取方法,称之为Fc-S法。该方法首先利用等高线特征进行滤波,从LIDAR数据内插的数字表面模型(DSM)中提取出DEM,利用DSM与DEM的高差阈值和DSM边缘特征参数去掉地面点和汽车等矮小物体,获得主要包含植被和建筑物的地物点群,然后对地物点群进行分割,利用二次梯度和面积等参数去掉植被点,并采用迭代逼近的方法精化建筑物。文章通过实验对所提方法进行验证,并借助高分辨率的航空影像对建筑物提取结果进行评估,评估结果表明该方法能够在地形起伏的区域中较准确地提取出建筑物。     

Object-oriented semantic labelling of spectral–spatial LiDAR point cloud for urban land cover classification and buildings detection

The urban land cover mapping and automated extraction of building boundaries is a crucial step in generating three-dimensional city models. This study proposes an object-based point cloud labelling technique to semantically label light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data captured over an urban scene. Spectral data from multispectral images are also used to complement the geometrical information from LiDAR data. Initial object primitives are created using a modified colour-based region growing technique. Multiple classifier system is then applied on the features extracted from the segments for classification and also for reducing the subjectivity involved in the selection of classifier and improving the precision of the results. The proposed methodology produces two outputs: (i) urban land cover classes and (ii) buildings masks which are further reconstructed and vectorized into three-dimensional buildings footprints. Experiments carried out on three airborne LiDAR datasets show that the proposed technique successfully discriminates urban land covers and detect urban buildings.     

激光雷达森林参数反演研究进展

激光雷达通过发射激光能量和接收返回信号的方式,来获取高精度的森林空间结构和林下地形信息。全波形激光雷达通过记录返回信号的全部能量,得到亚米级植被垂直剖面;离散回波激光雷达记录的单个或多个回波,表示来自不同冠层的回波信号。星载激光雷达一般采用全波形或光子计数激光剖面系统,仅能获取卫星轨道下方的单波束或多波束数据,用于区域/全球范围的森林垂直结构及变化观测。机载激光雷达多采用离散回波或全波形激光扫描系统,能够获取飞行轨迹下方特定视场范围内的扫描数据,用于林分/区域范围的森林结构观测。地基激光雷达多采用离散回波激光扫描系统,获取以测站为中心的球形空间内扫描数据,用于单木/样地范围的森林结构观测。激光雷达单木因子估测方法可分为CHM单木法、NPC单木法和体元单木法3类。CHM单木法通过局部最大值识别树冠顶点,采用区域生长或图像分割算法识别树冠边界或树冠主方向,NPC单木法一般通过空间聚类或形态学算法识别单木,体元单木法在3维体元空间采用区域生长或空间聚类算法识别树冠。根据激光雷达冠层高度分布可以估测林分因子,冠层高度分布特征来自于离散点云或全波形。多时相激光雷达可用于森林生长量、生物量变化等监测,以及森林采伐、灾害等引起的结构变化监测。随着激光雷达技术的发展,它将在森林调查、生态环境建模等生产与科学研究领域中得到更为广泛的应用。     

全波形激光雷达的波形优化分解算法

随着数据存储能力和处理速度的提高,三维激光扫描系统逐渐具备全波形采集和分析技术。为了从全波形数据中获得脉冲时间、幅度、脉宽以及多回波分布等综合信息,波形分解成为了全波形激光雷达数据处理的关键技术之一。针对LM算法在一定程度上依赖初值,而传统激光雷达数据处理容易遗漏部分重叠的返回波,本文提出了一种改进回波分量初值设定的算法来获取回波脉冲的位置、宽度和强度。针对一套自主研发的全波形记录激光雷达演示系统进行了波形分解试验,定性和定量分析结果验证了该方法的有效性、可靠性和准确性。     

Evaluation of effectiveness of three fuzzy systems and three texture extraction methods for building damage detection from post-event LiDAR data

Building damage maps after disasters can help us to better manage the rescue operations. Researchers have used Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data for extracting the building damage maps. For producing building damage maps from LiDAR data in a rapid manner, it is necessary to understand the effectiveness of features and classifiers. However, there is no comprehensive study on the performance of features and classifiers in identifying damaged areas. In this study, the effectiveness of three texture extraction methods and three fuzzy systems for producing the building damage maps was investigated. In the proposed method, at first, a pre-processing stage was utilized to apply essential processes on post-event LiDAR data. Second, textural features were extracted from the pre-processed LiDAR data. Third, fuzzy inference systems were generated to make a relation between the extracted textural features of buildings and their damage extents. The proposed method was tested across three areas over the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Three building damage maps with overall accuracies of 75.0%, 78.1% and 61.4% were achieved. Based on outcomes, the fuzzy inference systems were stronger than random forest, bagging, boosting and support vector machine classifiers for detecting damaged buildings.     

LiDAR点云的建筑物立面空洞修复

针对树木等遮挡造成的车载LiDAR建筑物立面点云空洞,该文提出了一种基于机载和车载LiDAR数据融合的建筑物点云修复方法,即在空-地LiDAR点云融合的基础上,基于提取的机载LiDAR建筑物外轮廓线,通过缓冲区分析实现车载LiDAR建筑物点云分割;借助轮廓线信息实现了邻近建筑物间的相似性判断,基于匹配后的相似建筑物点云和空洞探测方法,实现了建筑物立面点云空洞修复。最后通过实验数据验证了该方法的可行性。     

Object-based habitat mapping using very high spatial resolution multispectral and hyperspectral imagery with LiDAR data

This study investigated the combined use of multispectral/hyperspectral imagery and LiDAR data for habitat mapping across parts of south Cumbria, North West England. The methodology adopted in this study integrated spectral information contained in pansharp QuickBird multispectral/AISA Eagle hyperspectral imagery and LiDAR-derived measures with object-based machine learning classifiers and ensemble analysis techniques. Using the LiDAR point cloud data, elevation models (such as the Digital Surface Model and Digital Terrain Model raster) and intensity features were extracted directly. The LiDAR-derived measures exploited in this study included Canopy Height Model, intensity and topographic information (i.e. mean, maximum and standard deviation). These three LiDAR measures were combined with spectral information contained in the pansharp QuickBird and Eagle MNF transformed imagery for image classification experiments. A fusion of pansharp QuickBird multispectral and Eagle MNF hyperspectral imagery with all LiDAR-derived measures generated the best classification accuracies, 89.8 and 92.6% respectively. These results were generated with the Support Vector Machine and Random Forest machine learning algorithms respectively. The ensemble analysis of all three learning machine classifiers for the pansharp QuickBird and Eagle MNF fused data outputs did not significantly increase the overall classification accuracy. Results of the study demonstrate the potential of combining either very high spatial resolution multispectral or hyperspectral imagery with LiDAR data for habitat mapping.     

Analysis of full-waveform LiDAR data for classification of an orange orchard scene

Full-waveform laser scanning data acquired with a Riegl LMS-Q560 instrument were used to classify an orange orchard into orange trees, grass and ground using waveform parameters alone. Gaussian decomposition was performed on this data capture from the National Airborne Field Experiment in November 2006 using a custom peak-detection procedure and a trust-region-reflective algorithm for fitting Gauss functions. Calibration was carried out using waveforms returned from a road surface, and the backscattering coefficient γ was derived for every waveform peak. The processed data were then analysed according to the number of returns detected within each waveform and classified into three classes based on pulse width and γ. For single-peak waveforms the scatterplot of γ versus pulse width was used to distinguish between ground, grass and orange trees. In the case of multiple returns, the relationship between first (or first plus middle) and last return γ values was used to separate ground from other targets. Refinement of this classification, and further sub-classification into grass and orange trees was performed using the γ versus pulse width scatterplots of last returns. In all cases the separation was carried out using a decision tree with empirical relationships between the waveform parameters. Ground points were successfully separated from orange tree points. The most difficult class to separate and verify was grass, but those points in general corresponded well with the grass areas identified in the aerial photography. The overall accuracy reached 91%, using photography and relative elevation as ground truth. The overall accuracy for two classes, orange tree and combined class of grass and ground, yielded 95%. Finally, the backscattering coefficient γ of single-peak waveforms was also used to derive reflectance values of the three classes. The reflectance of the orange tree class (0.31) and ground class (0.60) are consistent with published values at the wavelength of the Riegl scanner (1550 nm). The grass class reflectance (0.46) falls in between the other two classes as might be expected, as this class has a mixture of the contributions of both vegetation and ground reflectance properties.     

一种利用点云邻域信息的建筑物屋顶面高精度自动提取方法

从LiDAR数据中高精度地提取建筑物屋顶面是构建屋顶面拓扑关系、实现建筑物三维模型重建的关键。本文针对现有算法提取复杂建筑物屋顶面适应性较差、精度较低等问题,提出了一种利用点云邻域信息的建筑物屋顶面高精度自动提取方法。通过主成分分析计算点云特征,构建特征直方图,选取可靠种子点;利用提出的局部点云法向量分布密度聚类算法聚类种子点,快速准确地提取初始屋顶面片;构建基于邻域信息的投票模型,有效地解决屋顶面竞争现象。试验结果表明,本文方法可自动、高精度地提取屋顶面,对不同复杂程度的建筑物具有较好的适应性,能为建筑物三维模型重建提供可靠的屋顶面信息。     

基于机载LiDAR数据的区域林木信息提取

本文对LiDAR数据的各种滤波方法以及多次回波特性进行了综合研究,提出一种基于其多次回波特性进行林木信息提取的方法,并对该方法的可行性进行了实例验证,为探索LiDAR数据的应用提供了新的思路。     

Tree species classification in subtropical forests using small-footprint full-waveform LiDAR data

The accurate classification of tree species is critical for the management of forest ecosystems, particularly subtropical forests, which are highly diverse and complex ecosystems. While airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology offers significant potential to estimate forest structural attributes, the capacity of this new tool to classify species is less well known. In this research, full-waveform metrics were extracted by a voxel-based composite waveform approach and examined with a Random Forests classifier to discriminate six subtropical tree species (i.e., Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.)), Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.), Slash pines (Pinus elliottii Engelm.), Sawtooth oak (Quercus acutissima Carruth.) and Chinese holly (Ilex chinensis Sims.) at three levels of discrimination. As part of the analysis, the optimal voxel size for modelling the composite waveforms was investigated, the most important predictor metrics for species classification assessed and the effect of scan angle on species discrimination examined. Results demonstrate that all tree species were classified with relatively high accuracy (68.6% for six classes, 75.8% for four main species and 86.2% for conifers and broadleaved trees). Full-waveform metrics (based on height of median energy, waveform distance and number of waveform peaks) demonstrated high classification importance and were stable among various voxel sizes. The results also suggest that the voxel based approach can alleviate some of the issues associated with large scan angles. In summary, the results indicate that full-waveform LIDAR data have significant potential for tree species classification in the subtropical forests.     

关键点检测的复杂建筑物模型自动重建

利用机载LiDAR点云数据进行建筑物重建是当今摄影测量与遥感领域的一个热点问题,特别是复杂形状建筑物模型的精确自动构建一直是一个难题。本文提出一种基于关键点检测的复杂建筑物模型自动重建方法,采用RANSAC法与距离法相结合的分割方法自动提取建筑物屋顶各个平面的点云,并利用Alpha Shape算法提取出各个平面的精确轮廓,根据屋顶平面之间的空间拓扑关系分析建筑物的公共交线特征,在此特征约束下对提取的初始关键点进行修正,最终重建出精确的建筑物3维模型。选取不同类型复杂建筑物与包含复杂建筑物的城市区域点云进行实验,结果表明该算法具有较强实用价值。     

基于车载LiDAR数据的单株树提取

车载LiDAR数据能提供地物表面不同视角且具有容易获得高密度点云数据等优点,能为树木信息的精细提取提供有力保障.基于不同地物具有不同特征等性质,从车载LiDAR数据中对地物进行识别,将三维图形投影到二维平面上进行识别、分离、去噪及细化,运用Matlab编程实现对车载LiDAR数据中树木信息的提取.用全站仪对测区树木进行实地测量并进行定量分析,结果表明,方法可以较好地分离出构成树木的激光扫描点,达到树木提取的目的.     

融合LiDAR数据与航空影像的面向对象水体提取

针对单一数据源难以快速、准确提取水体信息的问题,提出一种利用面向对象技术有效融合LiDAR点云与影像数据,准确提取水体信息的新方法。采用分形网络演化算法对航空影像进行多尺度分割得到影像对象,提出对象平均回波强度概念,利用LiDAR回波强度信息计算OAI,选取对象面积和OAI构建特征空间提取水体。实验结果表明,该方法简单高效,水体提取效果良好。该文方法可为无需精确配准的高精度水体提取、利用面向对象技术处理基于LiDAR数据和航空影像的信息提取等问题提供参考。     

全波形机载激光雷达绝对辐射定标与不确定性分析

为揭示全波形激光雷达回波在森林等植被区域多回波信号的特征和对目标识别分类的影响,以激光雷达方程为模型基础,利用朗伯体目标为地面参考,提出了将激光雷达波形参数标定为后向散射截面、后向散射系数和漫反射率等物理量的方法,实现了机载小光斑全波形机载激光雷达数据绝对辐射定标。对两个不同实验区的LMS-Q680i数据标定结果表明,漫反射率与参考反射率相对误差总体分别小于10%和5.5%,误差标准差分别为0.044和0.077,有效消除了条带间差异。推导了多回波的激光雷达方程组,比较了相同系统在不同观测条件下的定标常数变化,重点分析了全波形激光雷达在穿透性目标上的多回波现象造成的能量衰减,及其对辐射定标结果的影响,证明了多回波现象是造成多回波信号减弱的主要原因。该现象是当前技术体制下激光雷达观测过程本身存在的缺陷,对基于激光雷达辐射信息的目标识别分类带来了一定的挑战,也是多光谱、高光谱激光雷达辐射信号定标必须解决的问题。     

数字正射影像结合LiDAR数据在山区测绘中的应用

随着信息化社会的到来,现代水利测绘已经由传统测绘向信息化测绘发展,无人机技术应用于测绘行业推进了信息化测绘进程。本文探讨了如何有效利用无人机技术解决测绘领域在山区遇到的问题。固定翼无人机能及时获取地面数字正射影像数据,捕获裸露地面的平面和高程,但是无法获取植被覆盖下的地表高程信息,因此,本文通过机载激光雷达获取植被覆盖下的LiDAR点云数据;将二者数据相结合,再通过EPS软件生成三维地表模型,可以快速获取任何测区地物和地形数据,不仅提高了工作效率,还降低了外业劳动强度。     

基于机载LiDAR数据的建筑物轮廓提取

建筑物轮廓作为建筑物三维重建的重要元素,在建立智慧城市和数字城市中至关重要。本文针对从机载激光雷达点云中提取建筑物轮廓数据处理的点云滤波、建筑物屋顶面提取、建筑物轮廓提取,以及提取精度评定各环节存在的一些问题,提出了一种综合区域生长改进算法、三维Hough变换算法和α-shape算法的建筑物轮廓提取方法。该方法在对机载LiDAR点云数据去噪的基础上,首先利用改进的区域生长算法滤波地面点,并基于地物点到地面的归一化高程特征通过高度阈值去除高度较为低矮的地物点;再基于三维Hough变换算法从剩余建筑物和高大树木点云中提取建筑物平面;最后使用α-shape算法提取建筑物的轮廓信息。对使用RIEGLVQ-1560i机载激光雷达测量系统扫描的某城区点云数据进行计算,通过匹配度、形状相似度和位置精度等评价指标对提取的建筑物轮廓进行精度评定。结果表明,综合区域生长改进算法、三维Hough变换算法和α-shape算法的建筑物轮廓提取方法可以准确提取建筑物的轮廓信息,对于大范围的建筑物轮廓提取具有稳定性和普遍适用性。     

基于最佳阈值形态学方法对机载LiDAR数据进行边缘提取

对机载LiDAR数据的边缘提取方法进行研究。介绍机载LiDAR系统与应用以及机载LiDAR数据处理流程，并运用VC＋＋程序将机载LiDAR数据生成深度影像。将形态学边缘提取方法改进后，运用最佳阈值形态学方法对深度影像进行边缘提取。其中建筑物边缘与Log算子、Candy算子这两种方法相比较，对山脉直接采取此方法进行边缘提取，得出采用最佳阈值形态学方法对边缘提取是有效的，提取的边缘更连续，断点少，有利于判读。