PE and RS PUBLIC November 2011 : Page-1074Cross-Walking “Lidar Guidelines and Base Specifi cation” to Data Lifecycle Verifi cation Approaches by Charles O'Hara Evolution in Aerial Lidar Data Accuracy Verifi cation and Review Rapid advances in aerial lidar technologies, growth in useful applications of the data from lidar acquisition projects, and increasing demand for improved elevation data and derived information products combine to drive the need for consistent and unifi ed specifi cations as well as effi cient, cost effective, and standardized lidar data accuracy and verifi cation methods which are aligned with those specifi cations. According to version 13 of the U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Program “Lidar Guidelines and Base Specifi cation” 1 “The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Program (NGP) has cooperated in the collection of numerous lidar datasets across the nation for a wide array of applications. These collections have used a variety of specifi cations and required a diverse set of products, resulting in many incompatible datasets and making cross-project analysis extremely diffi cult. The need for a single base specifi cation, defi ning minimum collection parameters and a consistent set of deliverables, is apparent. Beginning in late 2009, an increase in the rate of lidar data collection due to American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funding for The National Map makes it imperative that a single data specifi cation be implemented to ensure consistency and improve data utility. Although the development of this specifi cation was prompted by the ARRA stimulus funding, the specifi cation is intended to remain durable beyond ARRA funded NGP projects.” Lidar acquisition projects are evolving to include partnering of federal, state, county, and local participants. Partnering at multiple levels (federal, state, and local) on projects enables leveraging of funding resources while also requiring adjustments in the project acquisition data requirements and specifi cation so that products deliver maximum benefi ts to the customers and the public and meet the combined require-ments of the project partners. Differing participation can have signifi cant impacts on the project specifi cations and requirements for their testing and verifi cation. Major federal agencies such as the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are providing leadership in developing specifi cations for lidar projects that are becoming increasingly a part of project requirements and specifi cations. Vendor partnering for complex or large projects is also becoming commonplace. Projects that combine data from aerial rotary and fi xed wing acquisitions of lidar and orthophotography, as well as terrestrial and mobile lidar, are delivering products that fuse data to include the best aspects of each sensor system involved. Such projects (Figure 1) will become more common as high resolution multi-scale, multi-source data are more effectively integrated with mapping and engineering software solutions. As the data become more complex, gathered from multiple sources, and collected to suit multi-scale applications, the methods for verifying the data must evolve to provide “best-practice” solutions that may be implemented across data sets, regardless of vendor specifi c systems or data types. 1. USGS, 2010. “U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Program: Lidar Guidelines and Base Specifi cation,” version 13 (http://lidar.cr.usgs.gov/USGS-NGP Lidar Guidelines and Base Specifi cation, v13 ILMF.pdf). 1074 November 2011 Photogrammetric engineering & remote SenSing Publication List Using a screen reader? Click Here |
