LiDAR Articles

How to Process mdLiDAR1000UHR data in LP360 Drone

mdInfinity has merged with LP360 drone giving you more drone data processing power and deliverables.  Now, Microdrones fully integrated systems can take advantage of the capabilities of LP360 Drone to transform raw flight data and generates colorized, georeferenced 3D LiDAR point clouds. In addition, the software allows you to geotag the imagery collected to create highly accurate orthomosaics.

To show how you can use LP360 Drone to complete processing, without the need to employ other software applications, Jaume Cazorla, the LP360 Customer Success Manager for Europe, will demonstrate the workflow to process data collected with the mdLiDAR1000UHR in the video below.

Put your data to work

LP360 Drone makes it possible to process, analyze, and maximize drone survey data, producing valuable information and deliverables with an intuitive workflow.  The GIS interface creates powerful 3D point cloud visualizations with multiple and synchronized windows.

The UAV LiDAR and photogrammetry processing software has an extensive toolbox of geospatial tools for deriving products that serve multiple industries and applications. The workflow in LP360 Drone enables the user to create and manipulate point cloud data directly from industry-standard LAS format without any time-consuming importing or converting processes.

LP360 Drone Workflow

Import a cycle (flight data)
The first step in LP360 Drone is to import the data from the mdLiDAR1000UHR into LP360.  The interface in the software allows you to use the import wizard to easily bring TrueView, Microdrones or a guest sensor flight into a new project. 

Process the trajectory

Once the data has been imported, the next step is to process the trajectory using the POSPac wizard.  This step processes the data to improve the accuracy of the position and attitude of the sensor collected during the flight. Essentially, the software is determining where the Lidar sensor was in 3D space at all times throughout the flight. This is calculated using the raw GNSS data and IMU data from the payload and marrying it with a base station.

Screen showing Trajectory processing in LP360 Drone
Process the Trajectory in LP360 Drone

Geocoding and colorization

To create the 3D colorized point cloud and transform the data from the LiDAR, the GNSS, and IMU the next step is to Geocode LiDAR. This process positions geographic coordinates to every point in the point cloud. Once the colorized point cloud is completed, the user can analyze the data to determine how the strips blended. The mdLiDAR1000UHR provides an ultra-high resolution via a 32-channel LiDAR sensor, which translates to more point density, better detail, and improved deliverables without many dynamic errors on the trajectory.

Strip Align

To continue and improve the geometrical accuracy of the data, the Strip Align tool can further process and perform LAS file corrections in both the horizontal and vertical utilizing flight trajectories. LP360 Drone will create a new point cloud, where the consistency between the flight lines has been improved.

Smoothing

To further remove any noise, the Smoothing option is used from the LP360 Drone point cloud tasks. Smoothing is a robust, adaptive algorithm that improves the overall data quality and leaves above ground features intact. After completing this step, the surface can be reviewed to see that it has been smoothed to the point of no obvious noise.

Quality Control

LP360 Drone allows you to import control/checkpoints for use in accuracy assessment and provides a specific toolbar to perform the QA/QC of a LIDAR dataset using control points. Control reports check for horizontal and vertical accuracy against known control (checkpoints). The Control Point Report will provide an output summary that contains statistical information to assist with your analysis.

Ground classification

Data classification is an important step before certain derivative products can be generated. LP360 Drone software includes both interactive and automated tools to define points in the dataset. Ground classification (bare earth) is usually done via a variation of an adaptive TIN algorithm. The software provides an extensive library of other classification algorithms available for other downstream workflows.

LP360 Drone Ground Classification
LP360 Drone Ground Classification

DTM and contour lines

Easily create high quality deliverables like Digital Terrain Models and Contours with LP360 Drone. LP360 Drone software includes advanced tools that allow for both interactive visualization and generating file-based contours for customer delivery.

Create the Orthophoto

The last step in this demonstration creates an orthophoto using the Ortho Mapping tool in LP360 Drone. The mdLiDAR1000UHR is fully integrated with an improved 72.5° field of view 26MP camera sensor, to create ultra-high resolution orthophotos.

 If you would like more information on the all new mdLIDAR1000UHR or learn more about processing data in LP360 Drone, schedule a time to meet with one of our helpful representatives.

For more information with one of our LiDAR experts.