System and method for analyzing trees in LiDAR data using views
AssigneeWeyerhaeuser NR Company
InventorZhenkui Ma
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for identifying individual trees in LiDAR data based on the view of a LiDAR data point. In one embodiment, those LiDAR data points that do not have neighboring LiDAR data points that block the local view at a defined angle are considered to be in a central part of a tree canopy. In one embodiment, those LiDAR data points that are in a central part of a tree canopy are added to an output file that stores clusters of data points for each tree canopy detected. The central part of the tree canopy area can be analyzed to predict one or more characteristics of the tree.
Claims18
A computer system for identifying individual trees in Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data, comprising:
- a memory that stores a sequence of programmed instructions that are executable by a processor;
- and
- a processor that is configured to execute the instructions to identify individual trees in a set of LiDAR data by:
- for each LiDAR data point in the set of LiDAR data:
- determining if the LiDAR data point has one or more neighboring LiDAR data points with a height value that is above a height defined by an angle from the LiDAR data point;
- determining whether to add the LIDAR data point to a cluster based on a number of neighboring LiDAR data points that have heights above the height defined by the angle;
- and
- classifying the cluster of LiDAR data points as representing a central area of a tree canopy .
A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that are executable by a processor to identify individual trees in a set of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data by:
- analyzing each LiDAR data point in the set of LiDAR data to determine if the LiDAR data point has one or more neighboring LiDAR data points with a height value that is above a height defined by an angle from the LiDAR data point;
- adding the LiDAR data point to a cluster depending on the number of neighboring LiDAR data points with heights above the height defined by the angle;
- and
- classifying the cluster of LiDAR data points as representing a central area of a tree canopy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.