Retrieval of effective leaf area index (LAIe) and leaf area density (LAD) profile at individual tree level using high density multi-return airborne LiDAR

As an important canopy structure indicator, leaf area index (LAI) proved to be of considerable implications for forest ecosystem and ecological studies, and efficient techniques for accurate LAI acquisitions have long been highlighted. Airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR), often termed as airborne laser scanning (ALS), once was extensively investigated for this task but showed limited performance due to its low sampling density. Now, ALS systems exhibit more competing capacities such as high density and multi-return sampling, and hence, people began to ask the questions like—“can ALS now work better on the task of LAI prediction?” As a re-examination, this study investigated the feasibility of LAI retrievals at the individual tree level based on high density and multi-return ALS, by directly considering the vertical distributions of laser points lying within each tree crown instead of by proposing feature variables such as quantiles involving laser point distribution modes at the plot level. The examination was operated in the case of four tree species (i.e. Picea abies, Pinus sylvestris, Populus tremula and Quercus robur) in a mixed forest, with their LAI-related reference data collected by using static terrestrial laser scanning (TLS). In light of the differences between ALS- and TLS-based LAI characterizations, the methods of voxelization of 3D scattered laser points, effective LAI (LAIe) that does not distinguish branches from canopies and unified cumulative LAI (ucLAI) that is often used to characterize the vertical profiles of crown leaf area densities (LADs) was used; then, the relationships between the ALS- and TLS-derived LAIes were determined, and so did ucLAIs. Tests indicated that the tree-level LAIes for the four tree species can be estimated based on the used airborne LiDAR (R² = 0.07, 0.26, 0.43 and 0.21, respectively) and their ucLAIs can also be derived. Overall, this study has validated the usage of the contemporary high density multi-return airborne LiDARs for LAIe and LAD profile retrievals at the individual tree level, and the contribution are of high potential for advancing forest ecosystem modeling and ecological understanding.     

The Potential of Virtual Reality Technology for Analysis of Remotely Sensed Data: A Lidar Case Study

Abstract

Although the GIS community has been quick to exploit the advantages of virtual reality (VR) for display and analysis of spatial data, VR does not appear to have been exploited widely for remote sensing data analysis. A case study of high resolution lidar data acquired over a deciduous forest near Morgantown, WV was used to investigate the potential and limitations of current VR software for remote sensing analysis. The functionality within a standard remote sensing software package was found to provide a good overview of interpolated, smoothed lidar data, but was less useful for gridded data that had not been interpolated. With gridded data, it was possible to drape orthophotographs or other images over the lidar data, providing a useful method for investigating relationships between lidar and other data. Alternatively, using a commercial VR package, it was possible to view the original lidar point data, and thus visualize the multiple returns from within the canopy of each tree. The point data were preferable for identification of surfaces within the data cloud, especially the ground surface. For a fully integrated remote sensing VR package, functionality will be needed to link point and interpolated coverages, and also to enhance the interactive selection of data for further statistical analysis.     

Inversion of a lidar waveform model for forest biophysical parameter estimation

Due to its measurement principle, light detection and ranging (lidar) is particularly suited to estimate the horizontal as well as vertical distribution of forest structure. Quantification and characterization of forest structure is important for the understanding of the forest ecosystem functioning and, moreover, will help to assess carbon sequestration within forests. The relationship between the signal recorded by a lidar system and the canopy structure of a forest can be accurately characterized by physically based radiative transfer models (RTMs). A three-dimensional RTM is capable of representing the complex forest canopy structure as well as the involved physical processes of the lidar pulse interactions with the vegetation. Consequently, the inversion of such an RTM presents a novel concept to retrieve biophysical forest parameters that exploits the full lidar signal and underlying physical processes. A synthetic dataset and data acquired in the Swiss National Park (SNP) successfully demonstrated the feasibility and the potential of RTM inversion to retrieve forest structure from large-footprint lidar waveform data. The SNP lidar data consist of waveforms generated from the aggregation of small-footprint lidar returns. Derived forest biophysical parameters, such as fractional cover, leaf area index, maximum tree height, and the vertical crown extension, were able to describe the horizontal and vertical forest canopy structure.     

Above ground biomass estimation in an African tropical forest with lidar and hyperspectral data

The estimation of above ground biomass in forests is critical for carbon cycle modeling and climate change mitigation programs. Small footprint lidar provides accurate biomass estimates, but its application in tropical forests has been limited, particularly in Africa. Hyperspectral data record canopy spectral information that is potentially related to forest biomass. To assess lidar ability to retrieve biomass in an African forest and the usefulness of including hyperspectral information, we modeled biomass using small footprint lidar metrics as well as airborne hyperspectral bands and derived vegetation indexes. Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) was adopted to cope with multiple inputs and multicollinearity issues; the Variable of Importance in the Projection was calculated to evaluate importance of individual predictors for biomass. Our findings showed that the integration of hyperspectral bands (R² = 0.70) improved the model based on lidar alone (R² = 0.64), this encouraging result call for additional research to clarify the possible role of hyperspectral data in tropical regions. Replacing the hyperspectral bands with vegetation indexes resulted in a smaller improvement (R² = 0.67). Hyperspectral bands had limited predictive power (R² = 0.36) when used alone. This analysis proves the efficiency of using PLSR with small-footprint lidar and high resolution hyperspectral data in tropical forests for biomass estimation. Results also suggest that high quality ground truth data is crucial for lidar-based AGB estimates in tropical African forests, especially if airborne lidar is used as an intermediate step of upscaling field-measured AGB to a larger area.     

Challenges and strategies for the visual exploration of complex environmental data

ABSTRACT

In this opinion paper, we, a group of scientists from environmental-, geo-, ocean- and information science, argue visual data exploration should become a common analytics approach in Earth system science due to its potential for analysis and interpretation of large and complex spatio-temporal data. We discuss the challenges that appear such as synthesis of heterogeneous data from various sources, reducing the amount of information and facilitating multidisciplinary, collaborative research. We argue that to fully exploit the potential of visual data exploration, several bottlenecks and challenges have to be addressed: providing an efficient data management and an integrated modular workflow, developing and applying suitable visual exploration concepts and methods with the help of effective and tailored tools as well as generating and raising the awareness of visual data exploration and education. We are convinced visual data exploration is worth the effort since it significantly facilitates insight into environmental data and derivation of knowledge from it.     

Above ground biomass and tree species richness estimation with airborne lidar in tropical Ghana forests

Estimates of forest aboveground biomass are fundamental for carbon monitoring and accounting; delivering information at very high spatial resolution is especially valuable for local management, conservation and selective logging purposes. In tropical areas, hosting large biomass and biodiversity resources which are often threatened by unsustainable anthropogenic pressures, frequent forest resources monitoring is needed. Lidar is a powerful tool to estimate aboveground biomass at fine resolution; however its application in tropical forests has been limited, with high variability in the accuracy of results. Lidar pulses scan the forest vertical profile, and can provide structure information which is also linked to biodiversity. In the last decade the remote sensing of biodiversity has received great attention, but few studies focused on the use of lidar for assessing tree species richness in tropical forests.This research aims at estimating aboveground biomass and tree species richness using discrete return airborne lidar in Ghana forests. We tested an advanced statistical technique, Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS), which does not require assumptions on data distribution or on the relationships between variables, being suitable for studying ecological variables.We compared the MARS regression results with those obtained by multilinear regression and found that both algorithms were effective, but MARS provided higher accuracy either for biomass (R² = 0.72) and species richness (R² = 0.64). We also noted strong correlation between biodiversity and biomass field values. Even if the forest areas under analysis are limited in extent and represent peculiar ecosystems, the preliminary indications produced by our study suggest that instrument such as lidar, specifically useful for pinpointing forest structure, can also be exploited as a support for tree species richness assessment.     

Assessment of terrain elevation derived from satellite laser altimetry over mountainous forest areas using airborne lidar data

Gaussian decomposition has been used to extract terrain elevation from waveforms of the satellite lidar GLAS (Geoscience Laser Altimeter System), on board ICESat (Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite). The common assumption is that one of the extracted Gaussian peaks, especially the lowest one, corresponds to the ground. However, Gaussian decomposition is usually complicated due to the broadened signals from both terrain and objects above over sloped areas. It is a critical and pressing research issue to quantify and understand the correspondence between Gaussian peaks and ground elevation. This study uses ～2000 km² airborne lidar data to assess the lowest two GLAS Gaussian peaks for terrain elevation estimation over mountainous forest areas in North Carolina. Airborne lidar data were used to extract not only ground elevation, but also terrain and canopy features such as slope and canopy height. Based on the analysis of a total of ～500 GLAS shots, it was found that (1) the lowest peak tends to underestimate ground elevation; terrain steepness (slope) and canopy height have the highest correlation with the underestimation, (2) the second to the lowest peak is, on average, closer to the ground elevation over mountainous forest areas, and (3) the stronger peak among the lowest two is closest to the ground for both open terrain and mountainous forest areas. It is expected that this assessment will shed light on future algorithm improvements and/or better use of the GLAS products for terrain elevation estimation.     

利用激光雷达和多角度频谱成像仪数据估测森林垂直参数

植被的结构参数如植被高度、生物量、水平和垂直分布等，是影响陆地与大气能量交换乃至生物圈多样性的重要因素。多数遥感系统虽然可以提供植被水平结构的图像，但是不能提供植被成分垂直分布的信息。大尺度激光雷达仪器如LVIS产生的激光雷达信号，已成功地用于估计树高和森林生物量，然而大多数激光雷达仪器不具备图像能力，只能提供一个区域内的采样数据。其他的遥感数据如多角度高光谱、多频率多时相辐射计或雷达数据，可根据GLAS（Geoscience Laser Altimeter System）采样的测量用来推断出连续的森林结构区域覆盖参数。 MISR（Multi-angle Imaging Spectrometer）对陆表多角度的成像能力，可以通过BRDF的各向异性提供植被的结构信息。结合激光雷达的垂直采样和MISR的图像，区域内乃至全球性的森林空间参数的成像是可能的。ICESat卫星上的GLAS数据、Terra卫星上的MISR数据为区域或全球性森林结构参数提供了可能。本文的研究目的是评估GLAS数据，分析类似于MISR的数据对森林结构参数的估计能力。本文中使用了LVIS、AirMISR和GLAS数据。通过对GLAS树高的测量与GLAS像元内来自LVIS的平均树高对比，发现它们是高度相关的。同时还探讨了多角度频谱成像仪数据预测树高信息的能力，这将在今后区域内森林结构参数映射加以研究。     

Global, 30-m resolution continuous fields of tree cover: Landsat-based rescaling of MODIS vegetation continuous fields with lidar-based estimates of error

Abstract

We developed a global, 30-m resolution dataset of percent tree cover by rescaling the 250-m MOderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Vegetation Continuous Fields (VCF) Tree Cover layer using circa- 2000 and 2005 Landsat images, incorporating the MODIS Cropland Layer to improve accuracy in agricultural areas. Resulting Landsat-based estimates maintained consistency with the MODIS VCF in both epochs (RMSE =8.6% in 2000 and 11.9% in 2005), but showed improved accuracy in agricultural areas and increased discrimination of small forest patches. Against lidar measurements, the Landsat-based estimates exhibited accuracy slightly less than that of the MODIS VCF (RMSE=16.8% for MODIS-based vs. 17.4% for Landsat-based estimates), but RMSE of Landsat estimates was 3.3 percentage points lower than that of the MODIS data in an agricultural region. The Landsat data retained the saturation artifact of the MODIS VCF at greater than or equal to 80% tree cover but showed greater potential for removal of errors through calibration to lidar, with post-calibration RMSE of 9.4% compared to 13.5% in MODIS estimates. Provided for free download at the Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF) website (www.landcover.org), the 30-m resolution GLCF tree cover dataset is the highest-resolution multi-temporal depiction of Earth's tree cover available to the Earth science community.     

Multiscale divergence between Landsat- and lidar-based biomass mapping is related to regional variation in canopy cover and composition

Background

Satellite-based aboveground forest biomass maps commonly form the basis of forest biomass and carbon stock mapping and monitoring, but biomass maps likely vary in performance by region and as a function of spatial scale of aggregation. Assessing such variability is not possible with spatially-sparse vegetation plot networks. In the current study, our objective was to determine whether high-resolution lidar-based and moderate-resolution Landsat-base aboveground live forest biomass maps converged on similar predictions at stand- to landscape-levels (10 s to 100 s ha) and whether such differences depended on biophysical setting. Specifically, we examined deviations between lidar- and Landsat-based biomass mapping methods across scales and ecoregions using a measure of error (normalized root mean square deviation), a measure of the unsystematic deviations, or noise (Pearson correlation coefficient), and two measures related to systematic deviations, or biases (intercept and slope of a regression between the two sets of predictions).

Results

Compared to forest inventory data (0.81-ha aggregate-level), lidar and Landsat-based mean biomass predictions exhibited similar performance, though lidar predictions exhibited less normalized root mean square deviation than Landsat when compared with the reference plot data. Across aggregate-levels, the intercepts and slopes of regression equations describing the relationships between lidar- and Landsat-based biomass predictions stabilized (i.e., little additional change with increasing area of aggregates) at aggregate-levels between 10 and 100 ha, suggesting a consistent relationship between the two maps at landscape-scales. Differences between lidar- and Landsat-based biomass maps varied as a function of forest canopy heterogeneity and composition, with systematic deviations (regression intercepts) increasing with mean canopy cover and hardwood proportion within forests and correlations decreasing with hardwood proportion.

Conclusions

Deviations between lidar- and Landsat-based maps indicated that satellite-based approaches may represent general gradients in forest biomass. Ecoregion impacted deviations between lidar and Landsat biomass maps, highlighting the importance of biophysical setting in determining biomass map performance across aggregate scales. Therefore, regardless of the source of remote sensing (e.g., Landsat vs. lidar), factors affecting the measurement and prediction of forest biomass, such as species composition, need to be taken into account whether one is estimating biomass at the plot, stand, or landscape scale.

     

林木空间格局对大光斑激光雷达波形的影响模拟

激光雷达是近年来国际上发展十分迅速的主动遥感技术，在森林参数的定量测量和反演上取得了成功应用。激光雷达具有与被动光学遥感不同的成像机理，对植被空间结构和地形的探测能力很强。大光斑激光雷达系统一般指光斑直径在8—70m、连续记录激光回波波形的激光雷达系统。由于大光斑连续回波的激光雷达的光斑尺寸通常大于林木冠幅，波形中往往包含了森林冠层和许多森林元素的信息而不仅仅是单株树的信息。对于搭载在ICESAT卫星上的GLAS而言，光斑直径为70m，因此光斑对应着一片森林，包括很多棵树，在GLAS的激光光斑内树木的空间分布会有一定变化。同时激光雷达发射的脉冲信号在激光光斑内的分布也不均匀，而是从中心到边缘呈递减的分布。因此树木空间分布模式的变化对波形会产生一定的影响。通过对几种典型的树木空间格局进行模拟（包括规则分布、均匀（随机）分布和集群分布），假定激光光斑内能量呈高斯分布，模拟了各种树木分布模式林分的激光雷达信号。从模拟结果可见，森林的空间分布模式对大光斑激光雷达波形有明显的影响，对于波形面积（AWAV）和波形半能量高度（HOME），规则分布〉随机分布〉团状分布。其中对于HOME而言，规则分布和随机分布十分接近，而对于AWAV而言，聚集中心的变动不太敏感。     

面向森林植被的星载大光斑激光雷达回波仿真

利用星载激光雷达的大光斑全波形数据估测植被结构参数、监测森林生态已受到广泛关注。为了更准确地理解森林植被的结构参数和光学特性对激光雷达回波波形的影响,利用实测森林植被数据提取植被空间分布的统计规律,考虑地形坡度变化和植被冠层反射特性的影响,生成参数化的森林植被空间轮廓反射模型,结合星载激光雷达的回波理论,建立了面向植被的星载激光雷达波形仿真器。由大兴安岭地区的实测植被数据提取的统计规律生成的森林目标仿真波形与地球科学激光测高仪系统（Geoscience Laser Altimeter System,GLAS）真实回波波形具有较好的一致性,平均相关系数R2达到0.91。通过波形仿真分析发现,光斑尺寸减小有利于大坡度地形的森林信息反演,研究成果对中国未来研制星载激光雷达载荷的系统参数设计具有参考意义。     

Assessing the influence of return density on estimation of lidar-based aboveground biomass in tropical peat swamp forests of Kalimantan,Indonesia

The airborne lidar system (ALS) provides a means to efficiently monitor the status of remote tropical forests and continues to be the subject of intense evaluation. However, the cost of ALS acquisition can vary significantly depending on the acquisition parameters, particularly the return density (i.e., spatial resolution) of the lidar point cloud. This study assessed the effect of lidar return density on the accuracy of lidar metrics and regression models for estimating aboveground biomass (AGB) and basal area (BA) in tropical peat swamp forests (PSF) in Kalimantan, Indonesia. A large dataset of ALS covering an area of 123,000 ha was used in this study. This study found that cumulative return proportion (CRP) variables represent a better accumulation of AGB over tree heights than height-related variables. The CRP variables in power models explained 80.9% and 90.9% of the BA and AGB variations, respectively. Further, it was found that low-density (and low-cost) lidar should be considered as a feasible option for assessing AGB and BA in vast areas of flat, lowland PSF. The performance of the models generated using reduced return densities as low as 1/9 returns per m² also yielded strong agreement with the original high-density data. The use model-based statistical inferences enabled relatively precise estimates of the mean AGB at the landscape scale to be obtained with a fairly low-density of 1/4 returns per m², with less than 10% standard error (SE). Further, even when very low-density lidar data was used (i.e., 1/49 returns per m²) the bias of the mean AGB estimates were still less than 10% with a SE of approximately 15%. This study also investigated the influence of different DTM resolutions for normalizing the elevation during the generation of forest-related lidar metrics using various return densities point cloud. We found that the high-resolution digital terrain model (DTM) had little effect on the accuracy of lidar metrics calculation in PSF. The accuracy of low-density lidar metrics in PSF was more influenced by the density of aboveground returns, rather than the last return. This is due to the flat topography of the study area. The results of this study will be valuable for future economical and feasible assessments of forest metrics over large areas of tropical peat swamp ecosystems.     

PTrees: A point-based approach to forest tree extraction from lidar data

This paper introduces PTrees, a multi-scale dynamic point cloud segmentation dedicated to forest tree extraction from lidar point clouds. The method process the point data using the raw elevation values (Z) and compute height (H = Z − ground elevation) during post-processing using an innovative procedure allowing to preserve the geometry of crown points. Multiple segmentations are done at different scales. Segmentation criteria are then applied to dynamically select the best set of apices from the tree segments extracted at the various scales. The selected set of apices is then used to generate a final segmentation. PTrees has been tested in 3 different forest types, allowing to detect 82% of the trees with under 10% of false detection rate. Future development will integrate crown profile estimation during the segmentation process in order to both maximize the detection of suppressed trees and minimize false detections.     

海洋激光雷达反演水体光学参数

研制了一套船载海洋激光雷达,用于探测海水光学参数垂直廓线。2017年8月,该系统在黄海海域进行了实验测量。在准单次散射模型中引入原位测量的光学参数,实现了理想激光雷达回波信号的模拟,并将该理想信号与系统响应函数卷积后精确复现了实验的激光雷达信号。采用Fernald后向迭代积分法(简称Fernald法),比较了不同水体悬浮物激光雷达比下反演的激光雷达衰减系数α与原位漫射衰减系数Kd的差别。基于停航时标定的水体悬浮物激光雷达比,采用Fernald法获得了走航时的激光雷达衰减系数。进一步地,提出一种基于米散射激光雷达数据和原位测量的后向散射数据的融合算法,模拟了高光谱分辨率激光雷达(HSRL)反演α的过程,并将其与Fernald法进行了比较。实验结果表明,自研的海洋激光雷达能够有效探测海水光学参数,基于合适的水体悬浮物激光雷达比的Fernald法可以有效应用于米散射激光雷达的反演,未来无需假设的HSRL在海水光学参数探测领域具有更大的优势。     

Fine-resolution forest tree height estimation across the Sierra Nevada through the integration of spaceborne LiDAR,airborne LiDAR,and optical imagery

ABSTRACT

Forests of the Sierra Nevada (SN) mountain range are valuable natural heritages for the region and the country, and tree height is an important forest structure parameter for understanding the SN forest ecosystem. There is still a need in the accurate estimation of wall-to-wall SN tree height distribution at fine spatial resolution. In this study, we presented a method to map wall-to-wall forest tree height (defined as Lorey’s height) across the SN at 70-m resolution by fusing multi-source datasets, including over 1600 in situ tree height measurements and over 1600?km² airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. Accurate tree height estimates within these airborne LiDAR boundaries were first computed based on in situ measurements, and then these airborne LiDAR-derived tree heights were used as reference data to estimate tree heights at Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) footprints. Finally, the random forest algorithm was used to model the SN tree height from these GLAS tree heights, optical imagery, topographic data, and climate data. The results show that our fine-resolution SN tree height product has a good correspondence with field measurements. The coefficient of determination between them is 0.60, and the root-mean-squared error is 5.45?m.     

Quantifying post-fire fallen trees using multi-temporal lidar

Massive tree-felling due to root damage is a common fire effect on burnt areas in Scandinavia, but has so far not been analyzed in detail. Here we explore if pre- and post-fire lidar data can be used to estimate the proportion of fallen trees. The study was carried out within a large (14,000 ha) area in central Sweden burnt in August 2014, where we had access to airborne lidar data from both 2011 and 2015. Three data-sets of predictor variables were tested: POST (post-fire lidar metrics), DIF (difference between post- and pre-fire lidar metrics) and combination of those two (POST_DIF). Fractional logistic regression was used to predict the proportion of fallen trees. Training data consisted of 61 plots, where the number of fallen and standing trees was calculated both in the field and with interpretation of drone images. The accuracy of the best model was tested based on 100 randomly selected validation plots with a size of 25 × 25 m.Our results showed that multi-temporal lidar together with field-collected training data can be used for quantifying post-fire tree felling over large areas. Several height-, density- and intensity metrics correlated with the proportion of fallen trees. The best model combined metrics from both datasets (POST_DIF), resulting in a RMSE of 0.11. Results were slightly poorer in the validation plots with RMSE of 0.18 using pixel size of 12.5 m and RMSE of 0.15 using pixel size of 6.25 m. Our model performed least well for stands that had been exposed to high-intensity crown fire. This was likely due to the low amount of echoes from the standing black tree skeletons. Wall-to-wall maps produced with this model can be used for landscape level analysis of fire effects and to explore the relationship between fallen trees and forest structure, soil type, fire intensity or topography.     

Regression‐Based Estimation of Lodgepole Pine Forest Age from Landsat Thematic Mapper Data

Abstract

A linear regression‐based model for mapping forest age using Landsat Thematic Mapper data is evaluated in the lodgepole pine forests of Yellowstone National Park. Regression models predicting age (R²=0.62) and a logarithmic transformation of age (R² = 0.90) used a combination of visible, near‐infrared, and middle‐infrared TM bands. Forest age maps produced using the regression method match broad‐scale patterns of forest age within the Yellowstone Central Plateau study area. Per‐pixel estimates of forest age, however, may depart substantially from actual forest age, particularly for older stands, and the maps are most appropriate for depicting regional patterns of forest age.     

A bottom-up approach to segment individual deciduous trees using leaf-off lidar point cloud data

Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) can generate three-dimensional (3D) point cloud which can be used to characterize horizontal and vertical forest structure, so it has become a popular tool for forest research. Recently, various methods based on top-down scheme have been developed to segment individual tree from lidar data. Some of these methods, such as the one developed by Li et al. (2012), can obtain the accuracy up to 90% when applied in coniferous forests. However, the accuracy will decrease when they are applied in deciduous forest because the interlacing tree branches can increase the difficulty to determine the tree top. In order to solve challenges of the tree segmentation in deciduous forests, we develop a new bottom-up method based on the intensity and 3D structure of leaf-off lidar point cloud data in this study. We applied our algorithm to segment trees in a forest at the Shavers Creek Watershed in Pennsylvania. Three indices were used to assess the accuracy of our method: recall, precision and F-score. The results show that the algorithm can detect 84% of the tree (recall), 97% of the segmented trees are correct (precision) and the overall F-score is 90%. The result implies that our method has good potential for segmenting individual trees in deciduous broadleaf forest.