Using Lidar in ArcGIS

Working with Lidar using ArcGIS Desktop
By: Tammy E. Parece, John A. McGee, and James B. Campbell
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Updated 25 October 2016
Acknowledgments
This and other educational geospatial resources are available through VirginiaView
(www.virginiaview.net), the Geospatial Extension Program (www.gep.frec.vt.edu), and GeoTed
(www.geoted-UAS.org). For additional information about this text, please contact Tammy Parece
(tparece@coloradomesa.edu). For additional information about VirginiaView, please contact John
McGee (jmcg@vt.edu).
The authors acknowledge the support of their academic departments at Virginia Tech: The Department
of Geography and the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation.
Table of Contents
Introduction to This Manual
Tutorial 1: What is Lidar and How Do I Get Data?
Tutorial 2: Finding Lidar Datasets
Tutorial 3: Downloading USGS Lidar Datasets from EarthExplorer
Tutorial 4: Metadata for USGS Lidar Datasets
Tutorial 5: Preparing LAS Datasets for Use in ArcGIS
Tutorial 6: Adding Files to an Existing LAS Dataset
Tutorial 7: LAS Dataset Properties
Tutorial 8: Exploring the LAS Dataset Toolbar
Tutorial 9: Exploring the 3D Analyst Toolbar
Tutorial 10: Statistics for LAS Datasets
Tutorial 11: Classifying Unassigned Points in a Point Cloud
Tutorial 12: Creating a Digital Elevation Model using a Lidar Dataset
Tutorial 13: Visualizing Lidar Data in ArcScene
Tutorial 14: Adding and Using Surface Constraints
Tutorial 15: Creating a Lidar Intensity Image
Tutorial 16: Processing LAZ Datasets
Foreword
By V.A. Thomas, PhD
Associate Professor
Dept. Forest Resources & Environmental Conservation
Co-Director, Center for Environmental Applications of Remote Sensing
Virginia Tech
Terrestrial lidar remote sensing has transformed our ability to accurately map the world in three
dimensions. Evidence of early lidar research for terrestrial applications can be seen in the literature
in the 1960s and 70s, but it was not until the mid 1990’s that commercial airborne lidar became
available. Since that time, major advancements have been made with the technology, data processing,
and applications that greatly benefit from detailed vertical measurements.
In the 1990s, lidar users marveled at the ability of lidar technology to penetrate the forest
canopy to reach the ground below, allowing for improved ‘bare earth’ digital elevation models
(DEMs) showing microtopographic features, a vast improvement over the interpolation of survey
points or photogrammetric techniques. Suddenly we had the capacity for high resolution high-
resolution raster DEMs (i.e., sub-meter to 5 m cell size), and point clouds that enabled the direct
measurement of heights with 15 cm vertical accuracy. A new era of topographic mapping
applications emerged. These applications rely on creation of highly accurate digital surface and
terrain raster models and were, and continue to be, by far the most prevalent use of terrestrial lidar
data. The applications are varied, and can include anything where 3-dimensional information about
the earth’s surface is valuable.
The general analysis approach to topographic mapping applications is to develop high
resolution elevation and surface models from the lidar data, and perform subsequent spatial analysis
in a geographic information system. For example, the ability to map both the ground and the heights
of features on the surface has enormous benefits for urban transportation and infrastructure modeling.
Among other things, this aids in mapping of buildings, modeling of the impact of new built form,
disaster management, etc. Understanding the location and size of objects is also valuable for the
understanding of signal propagation, which aids in cellular network planning and vehicle automation
applications.
Flood risk mapping is another major application of lidar-based topographic mapping, and has
been a driving force for the acquisition of lidar data over larger geographic areas. Anthropogenic and
natural features affect flood dynamics, and small features can have significant impacts on the
direction and magnitude of flow patterns. High-resolution elevation data can allow for accurate
modeling of these effects, which can have significant economic and insurance-related consequences.
Lidar data have been used extensively for this purpose in the United States and elsewhere. Other
common hydrology-related applications of lidar include wetland and coastal mapping, where
information on highly accurate microtopography can be used to assess change over time.
Analysis of lidar data for topographic mapping has also had largely unanticipated benefits for
the field of archaeology, because of the ability to detect anthropogenic features underneath
vegetation. Laser penetration of dense forest canopies has enabled the detection of linear features in
the forest floor in many locations, which is indicative of prior anthropogenic activity. These
discoveries are now common, and often include buried foundations of old buildings, etc. On a more
dramatic scale, lidar data has aided the recent archaeological discoveries of ancient civilizations in
Cambodia, Belize, and Honduras, which are important historical findings.
In parallel to varied efforts of topographic mapping, vegetation mapping has reaped the benefits
of 3-dimensional information in lidar datasets. Almost as soon as airborne lidar data became
commercially available, research was underway to develop techniques to quantify height-related
attributes of forested environments. Researchers from Scandinavia, the United States, and Canada
were among the earliest adopters. Scandinavia in particular had a focus on techniques that enabled
the operational use of lidar for forest inventory mapping to obtain variables such as dominant and
mean height, above ground biomass and volume, diameter distribution, basal area, and stem count.
Although there are many approaches and algorithms published in the scientific literature, the more
widely-used techniques typically involve normalizing lidar data heights using the lidar-derived DEM
and calculating height-related variables from the remaining lidar data. These variables are then used
in models to predict the forest inventory variables, and can then be validated against ground
measurements.
As with most types of remote sensing, when lidar data first became commercially available
much of the data processing was done either by researchers or private companies and required a high
degree of technical expertise. Most of the early software packages were designed to view, query,
process, and analyze lidar datasets and focused on the classification of airborne lidar point clouds to
identify ground returns and create high quality DEMs. There are a number of commercial software
packages for this purpose, several of which provide free versions that enable viewing and querying
of the data. Considerable early research effort was invested in developing algorithms to detect ground
under different geographic conditions, such as variable topography and ground cover. Most early
lidar products available to the public in an easily accessible format were the end result of these
algorithms – where most users did not use or even see the unclassified lidar points. Standardization
of lidar data and lidar-derived elevation products was a major challenge, and is addressed in Chapter
1 of this book.
The forest-related research had a parallel but different context than other emerging lidar fields.
For most topographic mapping applications, trees and other forms of vegetation are obstacles that
obscure the ground and must be removed to map the features below. Software and processing
techniques reflect this reality with a focus on point classification and ground detection algorithms,
interpolation of DEMs, or the manipulation of elevation and intensity data in raster format (discussed
in Chapters 8-12 of this book). In contrast, forest-related processing techniques have focused on the
point clouds themselves. In the forestry context, the elevation models are a necessity to quantify, and
in many cases remove, effects of terrain from the dataset, such that the height and vertical structure of
forest canopies can be modelled. Since most of users of lidar data are not primarily focused on forest
attributes, the lidar-processing software have generally not catered to this user group. Instead, a suite
of freely-available tools emerged from this user community that enable the analysis of lidar point
clouds. The most notable of these include FUSION, which is a viewing and analysis software suite
designed for vegetation analysis from lidar point clouds, developed at the USDA Forest Service
Pacific Northwest Research Station. The other widely-used package is LAStools, which is a software
suite that enables processing of lidar point clouds for a variety of tasks, including ground detection
and derivation of forest canopy attributes.
Today it is hard to imagine geographic applications that don’t benefit from a 3-dimensional
understanding of the world. Just like with other types of remote sensing and GIS-related data, the
user community for lidar data has expanded well beyond a constrained, highly-technical group and
now includes people will all levels of skill and knowledge. People are thinking of new ways to
utilize the rich vertical information, and often want to be able to access and use point clouds in
addition to derived high resolution raster elevation products. Ideally, many people would prefer to
use software that they are already familiar with to display and analyze lidar data. With its large user
community, ArcGIS Desktop is ideal for this purpose. The new point cloud functionality in ArcGISTM
version 10.2 allows users to examine lidar-derived elevation products, the point clouds, and any
other geospatial dataset all in the same environment. All of the applications discussed above could
today be done in the ArcGISTM Desktop Environment. This manual serves an important role – leading
ArcGISTM Desktop users through the new lidar functionality and opening the door to a 3-dimensional
GIS world.
Introduction to This Manual
Lidar (“light detection and ranging”) is one of several data forms found within the field of
Remote Sensing. Lidar imagery is distinctive in its ability to provide remarkable levels of precision
and detail, to provide elevation information, and to provide the ability to extract information about
vegetation height and structure and terrain elevation. It is an extremely powerful form of imagery that
will continue to increase in significance.
This manual and the associated videos introduce users of ArcGIS™ Desktop to lidar point
cloud processing and tools that were introduced with Version 10.2. Users of this manual require prior
knowledge of ArcGIS™ and ArcCatalog™ basics, as we do not provide a review here. The user
does not need prior knowledge of ArcScene™ as we introduce basic uses of ArcScene™ as it relates
to lidar data. This manual is an introduction to lidar ArcGIS Desktop; it is not a comprehensive user’s
manual for lidar analysis or for the use of ArcGIS.
Please note that lidar data, in its LAS form, can only be processed starting with ArcGIS 10.2.
In addition to ArcGIS and ArcCatalog, you will need ArcScene. You will also need to have the
Spatial Analyst and 3D Analyst Extensions, along with the Spatial Analyst, LAS Dataset, and 3D
Analyst toolbars in ArcMap and 3D View in ArcCatalog. For more specifics on ArcGIS license
requirements for processing lidar data, see
http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#//015w0000006m000000.
This manual expands student access to remote sensing analysis by introducing students to use
of ArcGIS capabilities to process lidar data, thereby facilitating access to software with the ability to
extract information from remotely sensed data. This manual does not cover remote sensing
fundamentals, and users of the manual should refer to remote sensing textbooks, such as suggested in
the list of potential references below. Further, users of this manual should remain aware of the
distinctions between GIS analysis and the practice of remote sensing, which often use similar
software, but requires mastery of much different knowledge bases.
Most of the tutorials in this manual are designed to be completed in sequence, as each tutorial builds
on knowledge acquired from preceding tutorials. However, some tutorials can be completed
independently; we will identify these within this introduction. If you have knowledge of lidar data but
need to find datasets you can use within ArcGIS, start with Tutorial 2. If you already have lidar data
conforming to LAS Specifications 1.3 or 1.4, you can start with Tutorial 5.
The LAS form of lidar data is that which is required for compliance with USGS lidar
standard. For complete details on LAS Specifications, the current specification standards and for
reading the LAS header information, please see the American Society for Photogrammetry and
Remote Sensing (ASPRS) files at: http://www.asprs.org/Committee-General/LASer-LAS-File-
Format-Exchange-Activities.html
All data used within this manual were downloaded from USGS EarthExplorer.
Description of Each Tutorial
Tutorial 1- What is Lidar and How Do I Get Data? provides some basic information about
lidar data that is applicable for ArcGIS™ - LAS. At the end of Tutorial 1, the user will find a list of
additional resources for more comprehensive information on lidar data and specific information on
LAS datasets.
Tutorial 2 - Finding Lidar Datasets provides readers with some websites from which lidar
data can be downloaded.
Tutorial 3 - Downloading USGS Lidar Datasets from EarthExplorer and Tutorial 4 -
Metadata for USGS Lidar Datasets are specifically related to United States Geological Survey data.
Although EarthExplorer is a USGS site, some data found on the site may have been acquired by other
governmental entities. Because the data were acquired using USGS required format, the data are
housed by the USGS. For more specifics on USGS standards, we refer users to the USGS Center for
Lidar Information Coordination and Knowledge: http://lidar.cr.usgs.gov/.
Tutorial 5 - Preparing LAS Datasets for Use in ArcGIS must be completed before starting
Tutorials 6 – 15. The lidar data must be processed for use in ArcGIS before you can proceed with
these tutorials. However, if the data you have is in the form of an LAZ file, you will need to process
this data further before starting Tutorial 5, so we direct you to Tutorial 16 - Processing LAZ
Datasets. LAZ files are a form of storage for LAS datasets, so you must extract the data into LAS
format before proceeding.
Once users have completed Tutorial 5 - Preparing LAS Datasets for Use in ArcGIS, users
can use Tutorials 6 – 15 in any order that they wish. However, we caution users that we have
designed the tutorials in such a way that some information that is useful to know in Tutorial 5 will be
used in subsequent tutorials. Tutorial 13 - Visualizing Lidar Data in ArcScene is a stand-alone
tutorial once Tutorial 5 is complete. However, in some instances, it might be useful to complete this
tutorial before proceeding with Tutorial 11 - Classifying Unassigned Points in a Point Cloud
because ArcScene provides an avenue to become extremely familiar with your dataset.
These tutorials serve as an introduction to the use of lidar data in ArcGIS for remote sensing
analyses. These tutorials do not cover all the tools and methods available within ArcGIS. ArcGIS
online help provides additional information on other tools and functions. These tutorials should not
substitute for lidar or remote sensing textbooks, which present the concepts and context that support
knowledge for the decisions that you make when processing your lidar data in ArcGIS, specifically
with regards to some of the settings you must choose when using the different tools. For most of these
tutorials, we are only using default settings within the tools. In some instances, we do explore
alternative settings (e.g., Tutorial 12 - Creating a Digital Elevation Model using a Lidar Dataset),
but we are only showing the user examples of what the different settings produce and not making
recommendations on the settings required for your particular dataset or project.
We encourage users of these tutorials to explore them in the context of a more complete program to
cover the information and concepts that support the applications presented here.
Additional Resources
Additional Printed Resources for Remote Sensing:
Campbell, James B. and Randolph H. Wynne. 2011. Introduction to Remote Sensing - 5th Edition.
The Guilford Press. New York, NY. 677 p.
Fukuchi, T. and Fujii, T. (eds.). 2005. Laser Remote Sensing. CRC Press, Boca Raton pp 912
Habib, A. F. 2010. Airborne LIDAR Mapping. Chapter 22. in Handbook of Geospatial Technology
and Analysis. 2nd ed. John D. Bossler, James B. Campbell, Robert B. McMaster, Chris Rizos, Eds.
London: Taylor and Francis. 854 p.
Heidemann, H. K. 2014. Lidar base specification (ver. 1.2, November 2014): U.S. Geological
Survey Techniques and Methods, book 11, chap. B4, 67 p. with
appendixes, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/tm11B4.
Jensen, John R. 2004. Introductory Digital Image Processing: A Remote Sensing Perspective – 3rd
Edition. Pearson. Upper Saddle River, NJ. 379 p.
Parece, T.E., and Campbell, J.B. 2015. Land use/land cover monitoring and geospatial technologies:
An overview. In Advances in Watershed Science and Assessment. T. Younos and T.E. Parece, eds.
Book Series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, Volume 33; Springer. DOI 10.1007/978-3-
319-14212-8_1
Additional Printed Resources for Lidar in ArcGIS Desktop:

Keranen, Kathryn and Robert Kolvoord. 2015. Making Spatial Decisions Using GIS and Lidar, A
Workbook. ESRI Press. 200 p.
Additional Online Resources:

U.S. Geological Service Center for Lidar Information Coordination and Knowledge:
http://lidar.cr.usgs.gov/
American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS):
http://www.asprs.org/Committee-General/LASer-LAS-File-Format-Exchange-Activities.html
Tutorial 1: What is Lidar and How Do I Get Data?
What is Lidar?
Lidar (light detecting and ranging) is the use of lasers in active remote sensing. A laser (Light
Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) generates very short pulses of amplified light,
which are characterized by their coherence (very narrow range of wavelengths) and their ability to
form very tight, compact units that travel long distances. Lidar sensors consist of a transmitter, a
receiver (and optics related to both), a detector, and electronics to process the returned light. An
airborne lidar systematically scans from side to side, transmitting a very high density of pulses, and
then records the pulse reflections back to the instrument. As the light pulses are received, the sensor
records the time required for each pulse to leave, reflect, and return. The reflected light pulses
captured by the sensor are called returns. The collection of returns from an entire image, with their
accompanying positional data, is often referred to as a point cloud. Light photons are able to
penetrate very small openings, thereby providing very detailed three-dimensional imaging of the
earth’s terrain and its vegetative cover.
Lidar sensors can be placed in aircraft, on satellites, on vehicles, or as stationary units on the ground.
For ground-based lidar, return time represents distance from the sensor to the object and back. For
aerial lidar, return time defines the height (distance measurement) of the object above ground. Most
sensors are also integrated with GPS (geographic positioning systems) and INS (inertial navigation
systems), so light pulses can be spatially located on the Earth.
Example of ground-based lidar (image from USGS http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2012/04/pubs.html)

Example of aerial lidar acquisition (image from USDA
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ma/technical/?cid=nrcs144p2_013976)
Sensor design controls the number of light pulses per second and whether the light is transmitted as a
waveform or discrete form. When returns from both types are loaded into software, the returns can be
visualized as point clouds, when viewed from above.
Lidar point cloud as viewed from above. USGS lidar data set Entity ID number ARRA-
VA_11County_2010_000013 displayed in ArcMap, colorization represents height above-ground and
was randomly assigned by ArcMap.
Lidar, like many other forms of remote sensing, may not generate returns over water. Water depth and
clarity, along with turbidity and substances suspended in the water (e.g., algae blooms or manmade
debris) will govern whether light pulses are reflected or absorbed. For example, the figures below
show two different lidar acquisitions on the eastern shore of Virginia and include some water in each
image. The first two images on the left include a waterbody (center bottom of image) within a land
area, and shows that some light pulses were absorbed by the water and some were reflected back to
the sensors. The image on the right represents the coast of Virginia; again, some light pulses were
absorbed by the water and some were reflected back to the sensor. (Readers should note that some
aerial lidars use wavelengths that are specifically designed to assess depths of coastal water bodies;
such systems are not discussed here.)
Lidar acquisitions over land and water. The image on the left is an aerial image of land with a pond.
The middle image shows that same area overlaid with a lidar point cloud – some of the light pulses
were absorbed by the water in the pond. The image on the right is a coastal lidar acquisition, again
demonstrating that some pulses are absorbed and some are reflected. Images are screenshots from
EarthExplorer (http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/)
In waveform lidar, the sensor records the entire returned pulse which, when visualized from the side,
looks like a wave with several peaks (see the inset image below). The wave displays as time on the
y-axis and intensity of the pulse on the x-axis, with the varying intensities of the return determined by
the objects from which it was reflected. An actual pulse’s waveform image depends on the terrain.
For example, in the image below the light is focused on a terrain with trees. The highest intensity, in
this image, is from the vegetated area below the canopy, a possible indication that the tree species is
one with an open canopy. If this waveform reflected from an open area with reflection from the
ground only, the wave would display only the one peak at the bottom.
Waveform lidar (image adapted from USGS image at:
http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2010/02/meetings5.html)
In comparison, returns from discrete lidars still display as a point cloud when viewed from the side.
With discrete lidar, the pulse is reflected as individual returns ranging from 1 to 5, depending on
sensor design and complexity of the terrain. More open areas generate fewer returns (as on the left
and the middle in the figures below), and dense vegetation, such as a forest reflects multiple returns,
one each when hitting leaves, branches, shrubs. Except in areas of extremely dense vegetation or
underlying water, the final return is the ground. Again, returns are reflecting height above ground, and
the area demonstrates trees of many different heights (potentially representing different ages and/or
species).
Lidar discrete returns, viewed from the side. USGS lidar dataset Entity ID number ARRA-
VA_11County_2010_000013 displayed in ArcMap™, colorization represents height above ground
and was randomly assigned by ArcMap™.
The density of any set of lidar returns is governed by the contract for which the acquisition was made.
The figures below show different densities of returns within a 1-m diameter circle. The density of
points is an extremely important specification that must be clearly defined. The specification must be
associated with required application needs.
Different lidar pulse densities within a 1-m circle
Analysis of the return times (i.e., distances), using appropriate software, can be used to generate
surface elevation models, forest models, accident reconstruction, and many other applications. In
addition, because of lidar’s ability to show differing heights, it is useful for three-dimensional
modeling (e.g., distinguishing different tree species, viewing areas shadowed from nearby taller
features, and providing fine-scale delineation of objects). Appropriateness of any lidar dataset, as
with any other remotely sensed images, is dependent on many factors: aerial versus ground
acquisition, date and time of acquisition, point density, waveform verses discrete returns, and (if an
aerial acquisition) altitude. All of these considerations form the context for your decisions when you
choose datasets for analysis.
How Do I Get Lidar Datasets?
There are four ways to acquire lidar datasets. The first is to gather your own data. This data-
acquisition method is normally characteristic of ground-based lidar applications. Some research
universities have ground-based lidar equipment but you also can rent equipment to support this type
of data-acquisition method.
The second way is to obtain lidar from a new aerial acquisition. This option is usually associated
with capturing lidar data over large areas. Through aerial acquisition approaches, you may work with
a company that collects lidar data. You must be prepared to work with the company’s staff to design
the flyover, make decisions such as waveform vs. discrete, altitude of the flight, date, and density of
your point cloud. You must assure that your contract is very specific with regards to the actual
acquisition and in what form the dataset will be delivered to you in terms of data processing and data
format.
Third, many local, state, and federal governmental entities have acquired lidar data for their
jurisdictions, but they may not provide the data freely over the internet. However, some government
entities will provide the data to researchers or for applications that benefit the jurisdiction. You will
need to contact these entities individually to discuss their policies.
The least expensive acquisition is from freely available data, downloadable from the internet. The
next tutorial (Finding Lidar Datasets) identifies some of the available data and sources.
Formatting Lidar Datasets
In the past, industry standards for formatting raw lidar datasets have been lacking. Formatting for any
particular dataset is based on sensor manufacturer, and can include ASCII, binary, or proprietary
formats. Because of the lack of standardization, many datasets must be processed using proprietary
software owned by the sensor manufacturer, or the dataset must be processed and then delivered to
the user. If you are using existing data, your first priority is to discern the format of the dataset and the
specific software required.
To address the practical obstacles presented by the diversity of proprietary formats, the American
Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) promotes use of a common lidar data
exchange format. This format, LAS (LASer), is a public file format for the interchange of 3-
dimensional point cloud data. Furthermore, in 2012, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) published
specifications for lidar that will ultimately be used for The National Map (Heidemann 2014). USGS
specifications include the requirement for LAS v1.4 formatting based on ASPRS recommendations
(2011). In addition, availability of USGS requirements as an openly available standard has resulted
in adoption of similar requirements in many U.S. states and by other countries.
Again, it is important to understand the format associated with a lidar dataset prior to acquiring or
attempting to use the data.
For these tutorials, we will be working with lidar datasets downloaded from the USGS
EarthExplorer site, thus using LAS formatting. In our next tutorial - Finding Lidar Datasets, we
discuss locating lidar datasets with LAS formatting.
For a complete glossary of lidar terms, see:

Heidemann, H. K. 2014. Lidar base specification (ver. 1.2, November 2014): U.S. Geological Survey
Techniques and Methods, book 11, chap. B4, 67 p. with
For more background information on lidar, sensor designs, and data formatting, please see the
following publications and websites:
American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS), 2011, LAS specification
version 1.4–R13: Bethesda, Md., American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 27 p.
Available at http://www.asprs.org/Committee-General/LASer-LAS-File-Format-Exchange-
Activities.html
Campbell J.B. and Wynne R. H. 2011. Introduction to Remote Sensing, 5th Edition. Guilford Press.
New York pp 647
Fukuchi, T. and Fujii, T. (eds). 2005. Laser Remote Sensing. CRC Press, Boca Raton pp 912
Habib, A. F. 2010. Airborne LIDAR Mapping. Chapter 22. in Handbook of Geospatial Technology
and Analysis. 2nd ed. John D. Bossler, James B. Campbell, Robert B. McMaster, Chris Rizos, Eds.
London: Taylor and Francis. 854 p.
Heidemann, H. K. 2014. Lidar base specification (ver. 1.2, November 2014): U.S. Geological Survey
Techniques and Methods, book 11, chap. B4, 67 p. with
NASA’s Lidar Applications Group: http://science.larc.nasa.gov/lidar/
NASA’s Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/factsheets/LITE.html
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States:
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/lidar.html
Parece, T.E. and Campbell, J.B. 2015. Land use/land cover monitoring and geospatial technologies:
An overview. In Advances in Watershed Science and Assessment.
T. Younos and T.E. Parece, eds. Book Series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, Volume 33;
Springer. DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-14212-8_1
U.S. Geological Service Center for Lidar Information Coordination and Knowledge:
http://lidar.cr.usgs.gov/
For complete details on LAS Specifications, the current specification standards, and for reading the
LAS header information, please see the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
(ASPRS) files at: http://www.asprs.org/Committee-General/LASer-LAS-File-Format-Exchange-
Activities.html
Tutorial 2: Finding Lidar Datasets
Now that you know what lidar is, where can you acquire free lidar datasets?
Your employer, university, or sponsor may have contracted for lidar acquisitions to meet specific
programmatic, educational, or scientific needs, so you may have convenient in-house access to the
data you require. However, in many instances you will not have such data at hand, so here we
introduce you to a selection of sources of lidar data that are available to the public without cost. We
focus mainly on state and federal agencies in the United States, but readers should recognize that other
organizations (such as park systems, conservation organizations, cities, counties, and state agencies)
may have contracted for lidar coverage that may be available either through websites we mention
below or through other sites not listed here. Sometimes state entities acquire lidar data through cost
sharing programs with other entities (e.g., USGS).
To locate websites offering lidar data, you can begin with an internet search using terms such as
downloadable lidar data, lidar data sets, and sources for free lidar data; you will find an
assortment of results. Here we offer some guidance for assessment of these sites.
We caution you to carefully read the websites you open. Many of the websites will say you can access
USGS Lidar data, but if you look at the website address, it may be a .com, not a .gov site. Although
some of these websites will eventually take you to the website to download free data, you should be
alert and cautious, especially if the site asks for a credit card number. Not all governmental websites
offer lidar data for free, so again be sure you read the website carefully.
This tutorial introduces you to some websites that offer free lidar data, but first we provide you with
some specific examples of information to peruse while searching for free and downloadable lidar
datasets. We are including examples from websites for specific states and from the federal US
government. These examples represent a small sample of the sources that are available.
Indiana
Once you find a website with free and downloadable lidar data (e.g., the Indiana Spatial Data Portal
through Indiana University http://gis.iu.edu/datasetInfo/statewide/in_2011.php), you can look for
specific information.
You can examine the website to review the metadata, confirming that you are on the right track to find
data that meet your needs. You should also determine if the lidar dataset is available as pre- or post-
processed. Sometimes you may find that a dataset is only available after it has been previously
processed to generate a digital elevation model, breaklines, etc. In other situations, you may find that
only the raw lidar data are available. Again, this information should be easily located on the source
website (such as illustrated in the following screenshot from the Indiana Spatial Data Portal).
If you want raw data, be sure you know the dataset format. In the above example, LAS 1.2 is the
dataset format.
Idaho
In most instances, websites will guide you through the downloading process, many times taking you to
a specific site. For example - Idaho Lidar Consortium: http://www.idaholidar.org/wordpress/?
page_id=27
As you can see, the site says that some Raw data are available Online.
When you click Online, the website provides information about Data Download: Raw Point
Clouds. If you click on GlobusOnline, it takes you to that site and walks you through the download
process.
Kansas
Sometimes, websites do require that you log in, but that does not necessarily mean that they will
charge you for the data (e.g., Kansas Data Access and Support Center
http://www.kansasgis.org/resources/lidar.cfm). The next screenshot is the main page for Kansas.
Then we clicked on the last dataset, for 2014 (green circle).
This took us to the information page about the dataset.
We then clicked on File Downloads (red circle above) and got the following page:
If you are still unsure about open access or site security, check the website for contact information or
information pertaining to the governmental entity. For the Kansas Data Access and Support Center,
the following two screenshots were obtained from the bottom of the page at
http://www.kansasgis.org/resources/lidar.cfm. Use the contact information to inquire about freely
available date, and be sure to include your purpose for the data.
New Jersey
In some instances, when performing a search for data, you may just access a map of the state showing
lidar coverage areas and dataset availability with instructions on how to obtain data from a state
office. If you are unsure as to how current this information is, use the contact information.
South Carolina
In many cases, an agency may refer you to another website for downloading. For example, the South
Carolina Department of Natural Resources website provides a portal for GIS and lidar data.
Clicking on the 2007 Completed Acquisition for Charleston provides you with a document pertaining
to available data. Within this document is information directing you to NOAA and USGS websites for
data downloads (red box below):
However, data from the USGS CLICK site are no longer available at that website address. Instead, it
is now downloadable directly from EarthExplorer. (Lidar data downloads from EarthExplorer are
covered in the next tutorial - Downloading USGS Lidar Datasets from EarthExplorer.)
Redirection to a central web portal does not mean you should bypass reviewing individual
government websites. Local and regional sites may provide you with the most comprehensive
information on lidar acquisition dates, regional coverages, dataset formats, and processing status, so
they have value for your search.
We now review lidar availability from some of the most important United States federal government
websites.
United States Government Lidar Availability
United States Geological Survey (USGS)
We start with CLICK - USGS Center for LIDAR Information Coordination and Knowledge
http://lidar.cr.usgs.gov/.
If you click on the Data Access button (red oval above), it takes you directly to EarthExplorer.
Again, CLICK lidar data in LAS format is available via downloading from EarthExplorer -
http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/.
But that does not mean you should not review the CLICK website. You should review this website for
the data acquisition details as the USGS has several different programs, such as Experimental
Advanced Airborne Research Lidar – EAARL. You will need this information to decide which
datasets meet your research needs. The CLICK website also provides information on pre-processing
and references, information that you will require for any research reports or publishable manuscripts.
For the tutorials contained within this manual, we will be using data downloaded from
EarthExplorer. The next tutorial covers the steps you need to take to download data from
EarthExplorer. Tutorial 4 – Metadata for USGS Lidar Datasets will review the metadata that
accompanies your USGS Lidar Dataset downloaded from EarthExplorer.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
NOAA’s Digital Coast Project is available through the National Geophysical Data Center -
http://coast.noaa.gov/dataregistry/search/collection/info/coastallidar. The website contains detailed
information about their coastal monitoring and includes data for all U.S. coastal states and territories.
Data dates back to the mid-1990s and includes both topographic and bathymetric lidar. Remember to
check dataset formats; NOAA coastal lidar data are in .LAZ format (red circle below). This format is
discussed in the last tutorial – Processing LAZ Datasets in ArcGIS.
United States Forest Service (USFS)

While the USFS does not have lidar datasets downloadable from the internet, it does have a
comprehensive website about lidar: http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/rsac/lidar_training/.
United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA
NRCS)
The USDA NRCS does not have national lidar data readily available for downloading from the
internet from their site. However, USDA NRCS does have ongoing lidar acquisition programs in
various parts of the country, including the Wetlands Mapping Program:
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1260970.pdf
In some cases, mapping efforts are regionally based (e.g., the northeast:
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ma/technical/?cid=nrcs144p2_013974).
In many instances, the data will be available through the USGS EarthExplorer site (as indicated in
the LiDAR Entity ID below):
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) - Waveform Lidar

Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS) (website - http://lvis.gsfc.nasa.gov/) is waveform lidar
flown only over some portions of North and Central America
(http://lvis.gsfc.nasa.gov/Lvisflown.html). Data are available for download from
http://lvis.gsfc.nasa.gov/DataHome.html, using the Download Data button on the left of the screen
(red box below).
Examples of other United States’ individual state websites for lidar data
Most U.S. states have Geospatial Data portals, but each one is set up differently and different data are
available. Some state websites are identified here:
Illinois: http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/nsdihome/webdocs/ilhmp/county/dsm-dtm.html
Minnesota: http://www.mngeo.state.mn.us/chouse/elevation/lidar.html#available
New York: http://gis.ny.gov/elevation/lidar-coverage.htm
North Carolina: https://connect.ncdot.gov/resources/gis/pages/cont-elev_v2.aspx
Ohio: http://ogrip.oit.ohio.gov/ProjectsInitiatives/OSIPDataDownloads.aspx
Oregon: http://www.oregongeology.org/sub/projects/olc/default.htm
Texas: https://tnris.org/data-download/#!/statewide or http://tnris.org/data-catalog/boundary/lidar-
availability-index/
Vermont: http://vcgi.vermont.gov/lidar
Virginia: http://virginialidar.com/index-3.html#.VZwVcvnyRcI
Puerto Rico: http://tnris.org/data-catalog/boundary/lidar-availability-index/
In some instances, statewide lidar data are accessible through USGS EarthExplorer site (again as
seen in the LiDAR Entity ID:
Other sources for information about lidar datasets, including those that are free and some for cost:
http://www.opentopography.org/index.php
https://www.data.gov/geospatial/
Again, not all lidar data from all entities are free, and not all lidar data are available in raw form. We
recommend that when searching for any downloaded lidar data, you start with USGS EarthExplorer.
We are now ready to proceed to the next tutorial - Downloading USGS Lidar Datasets from
EarthExplorer.
Tutorial 3: Downloading USGS Lidar Datasets from EarthExplorer
Here we focus specifically on use of one of the most comprehensive collections of publicly available
lidar data: EarthExplorer, a United States Geological Survey website.
Go to EarthExplorer - http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/.
Go to the upper right corner and Login. You must be logged in to enable all search parameters and
download any lidar data. If you do not have a Login, you will need to click on Register to set one up.
The registration process is straightforward, and EarthExplorer will prompt you for the information
needed, so we will not cover that here. There is no cost to use Earth Explorer.
Once you have logged in, start with Search Criteria, on the left side of the website.
If you know the area for which you want lidar data, then you can use the search parameters, such as
Address/Place, Coordinates, Features, Predefined Area, etc.
In addition, if you know the dates of the lidar acquisition for your area of interest, you can also fill in
the Date Range at the bottom of the Search Criteria tab.
However, USGS lidar data do not cover the entire country, so you may get a message that says No
Results Found. For example below, we searched for Roanoke, Virginia.
Unless you know that the USGS has data for the exact area you wish, we suggest that you first go to
the Data Sets tab.
Under Data Sets, use the scroll bar on the right, scroll down to Digital Elevation (red oval).
Click on the plus symbol next to Digital Elevation to find LIDAR, and then check the box next to
LIDAR (red arrows and boxes below).
The round information button (i) next to the check box will take you to the USGS lidar
webpage (https://lta.cr.usgs.gov/LIDAR) that provides basic information about lidar data.
Clicking on the blue square will turn the box green and highlight the areas (with green) in the United
States for which lidar data are available from EarthExplorer.
Let’s search for lidar imagery for a specific state. Click on the Additional Criteria tab.
You want LIDAR Data Sets, so this should automatically prefill because you checked LIDAR on the
Data Sets tab.
If you know the Entity ID number, you can fill that in and you will be finished filling in this section.
(An Entity ID is a USGS EarthExplorer label to identify each individual image file).
Choose your state name from this list. Here we have chosen Virginia.
Alternatively, you can fill in the Project name, Vendor name, or Vendor Scene ID number.
For this tutorial, we assume that you do not have any of this information and are looking for available
lidar data sets for your state. Again, we have chosen Virginia from the state list as an example for
demonstration purposes. Once you have completed the Additional Criteria tab, click on Results.
You will get the following dialog box:

Once the search is complete, you will see the following results on the left hand side of the screen:
These results show 100 lidar scenes available for Virginia (red box). The results show 10 scenes at a
time. You can page through the results using the Next or Last buttons or by clicking on the down
arrow for the page number.
Each of the results show the LIDAR Entity ID number, the Acquisition Date, State, Project name,
and a screen shot of the scene.
For Virginia, all lidar scenes have the same Acquisition Date.
Each scene has options buttons (blue boxes). We will discuss each of these buttons on subsequent
pages.
First, let’s discuss the Click here to export your results button. Go ahead and click on it.
The Metadata Export dialog box opens up.
You can export metadata. If you click on the down arrow under Format, you get the following list:
We will discuss this screen and exporting in each of these formats in the next tutorial – Metadata for
USGS Lidar Datasets.
If you are unsure if the USGS lidar data covers your area of interest, or exactly which scenes you
want, we recommend that you use these options to help narrow your search parameters. Before
proceeding with your search, go to the next tutorial - Metadata for USGS Lidar Datasets, and then
return here.
You can also see metadata in other locations for all of the result entries. The thumbnail picture on the
left of the list is actually a button.
Clicking on the thumbnail brings up the Full Display of …. dialog box
This display also provides metadata. We will also discuss the metadata within this screen in more
detail in the next Tutorial – Metadata for USGS Lidar Datasets. For now, click on the x and close
this screen.
We are now going to discuss the buttons at the bottom of each result.
The first button is a footprint – the Show Footprint button. Click on it.
In the screenshot below, we have clicked on the first and third scenes from the results window. Note
that the first button is now blue, and the third is now green. If you look at the aerial image on the right,
the green box in the north corresponds to the location of the third scene and the blue box in the south
corresponds to the location of the first scene.
If you were to click on the Show Footprint button for all ten scenes listed, each one will display in a
different color. Some may look like the same color, but the shading is actually slightly different for
each one.
Now, suppose you want to just look at one. Turn them all off and just click on the Show Footprint for
the first scene.
EarthExplorer will actually zoom into the area, as displayed below. Again, this shows only the
footprint of the selected lidar scene.
If you unclick on the first and then click on the third scene, EarthExplorer will zoom to the new area,
as displayed below.
Unclick all Show Footprint buttons.
The next button is Show Browse Overlay.
Click this button. Below we clicked on the button for the first scene; it will likewise zoom to the area.
The difference between Show Browse Overlay and Show Footprint is that the Show Browse
Overlay shows the lidar return distribution.
Does this matter? Yes, because in areas of water, such as the scene on the right (which is the second
scene in the list above), not all the light photons have returned to the sensor. (Here, the purple
signifies areas where the lidar returns are captured by the sensors; those areas lacking coverage were
absorbed by open water.
The fourth button is Show Metadata and Browse (note: we will discuss the third button in
subsequent pages).
Clicking on this button, we get results similar to what we saw above (Full Display of…), which will
be discussed in the next tutorial - Metadata for USGS Lidar Datasets.
The sixth button is Add to Bulk Download (pink circle). You should do a bulk download when you
are choosing multiple scenes at one time. If you are only choosing one scene, use the fifth button
(which we will discuss toward the end of this tutorial).
The last button is the Exclude Scene from Results (red circle). By clicking on this button, you can
page through all the results and eliminate the ones that you do not want. This will save you time when
doing a bulk download.
Now let’s return to the top of the results box.

If you do not want to page through all the results to find your area of interest, you can display them as
multiple scenes without needing to click on each individual Show Footprint or Show Browse
Overlay buttons.
Click on the down arrow next to Show Result Controls.
You get a new dialog box with four choices:
Note the words From Current Page under each option; this means the results that are showing within
the results box on the screen. For the above example, this means the first 10 of 100 results. Result
Controls options only pertain to those scenes listed on the current results page.
If you want all of these scenes downloaded, you can click on the third option: Add All Results from
Current Page to Bulk Download.
The following pages discuss the other three options listed above.
Click the box next to Show All Footprints from Current Page. You get these results.
In the Results list for each scene, the first button is now highlighted (red circles on the left). Again,
this icon is a footprint.
In the box to the left, the first two are green, the third one is blue. The greens are different shades of
green, and they represent different scenes.
Second in the aerial image, there are little colored boxes. The colors correspond to the color of the
footprints in the screenshot above. Positions of the colored boxes within the aerial image represent
locations of the selected scenes on the surface of the Earth (eastern Virginia, in this case). The red
circle is showing the location of the blue footprint.
There are additional colored boxes (yellow circle) in the screenshot of the aerial image, each
displayed in different colors. Each of these corresponds to one of the ten scenes in the results
window. The colors match to the scene as represented in the previous screenshot.
Now uncheck Show All Footprints from Current Page and check Show all Browse from Current
Page.
As you can see from the next screenshot, you get basically the same results, but it is only showing the
distribution of the lidar returns for each scene (as you get from Show Browse Overlay, as discussed
above). These are actually difficult to see within the aerial image. You can click on both Show All
Footprints from Current Page and Show all Browse from Current Page to see the areas a little
better because the footprint causes the box on the aerial image to be bigger.
Remember, we did not yet discuss the third button on the bottom of each scene listed in the results. We
do that now. This button is called Compare Browse. It is used in conjunction with the fourth option in
the Result Controls dialog box: Compare Browse.
The Compare Browse buttons and the Compare Browse option allow you to select multiple scenes
and then compare them in another aerial image window.
Click on two of the Compare Browse buttons for scenes in the results area, as displayed on the left.
Then click on the Compare button in the Result Controls dialog box.
This opens a new window, as displayed below.
Click the Add to Map button on the first scene.

It adds the scene to the map, with the lidar return distribution.
If you click the Add to Map button on the second scene, it also adds it to the map and zooms out to the
extent that allows both scenes to be viewed.
These are difficult to see in the screenshot above, so we have color-coded boxes around them similar
to the color-coding by EarthExplorer.
You can click on Remove from Map (do so for the first scene), and then the map will zoom to the
area of the second scene, as displayed below. Notice that the lidar return distribution for this scene is
not rectangular because part of the lidar acquisition covers water.
Now, we are going to discuss the Download button that is found under each individual scene in the
results list.
Again, if you are ordering multiple scenes, it might be quicker to use the bulk download option, as
discussed previously.
When you click on the Download button, you will get the window on the right. For this tutorial, we
are going to click on each one and download each. We will discuss the individual files in other
tutorials.
Click the first Download button – LAZ Product. (We discuss LAZ files in the tutorial – Processing
LAZ Datasets in ArcGIS.)
You will get the following window. Click on Save File.
The file will download quickly if you are only downloading one scene. If you are downloading
multiple scenes, the download may take some time.
Click the second Download button – XML Metadata Product. You get the following window, click
Save File. Metadata is discussed in the next tutorial - Metadata for USGS Lidar Datasets.
Click the third Download button – LAS Product. You get the following window, click Save File.
If you now look at the download area on your computer, you should see the following three files:
We will discuss what to do with each one of these files in subsequent tutorials.
Tutorial 4 - Metadata for USGS Lidar Datasets
Tutorial 5 - Preparing LAS Datasets for Use in ArcGIS 10.X
Tutorial 16 – Processing LAZ Datasets in ArcGIS
We are now done with EarthExplorer. Don’t forget to Log Out before closing your web browser.
Tutorial 4: Metadata for USGS Lidar Datasets
As you recall from the prior tutorial – Downloading USGS Lidar Datasets from EarthExplorer,
many options exist to examine metadata. In the first section, we discuss metadata related to the entire
search results. We discuss this option first as it may be necessary to explore the metadata for the
entire search to help narrow down your scene selection.
As a reminder, we have just finished searching for all lidar data available for Virginia, finding 100
results. Instead of paging through all ten pages of results and examining each individual scene, let’s
examine how we can review metadata for all search results to help narrow down our scene selection.
Metadata related to the entire search results
At the top of the Results window, click on the button for Click here to export your results.
You will get the Metadata Export dialog box:
If you click the down arrow under Format, you will find all available formats for download.
We are going to provide examples for KMZ – Include Browse, Comma (,) Delimited, and
Shapefile. First, choose KMZ – Include Browse, then click on the Export button. KMZ files provide
the capability to mark locations of lidar datasets against a GoogleEarthTM background.
EarthExplorer will give the following message:
As you can see, you will get an email when your download is ready. Click OK.
Depending on how busy USGS/EROS is at the time you make your request, you could get an email
immediately, within minutes, hours, or days. But eventually you will receive an email with a
download link.
When you click on the download link in the email, you will be taken to EarthExplorer. If you are not
already logged in, you will first be prompted to login before you can download the data.
Once you are logged in, click on Download Export File.
Remember, we requested the form KMZ – Include Browse, so once you hit the Download Export
File button, you get the following window.
Click on OK. If you have GoogleEarth installed on your computer, it will open a GoogleEarth
window and zoom to the areas for your search results. It adds a push pin and the Entity ID number to
mark the center of each scene, which should help you choose a specific scene.
The next screenshot is a zoomed-in version of the prior screenshot.
If you click on any of the pushpins, it will provide you with additional metadata related to that scene.
Please note that your information will not likely mirror the follow screenshot; I just clicked on a
random pushpin so you could see an example.
Let’s now go back to Click here to export your results button and choose Comma (,) Delimited.
Remember, after choosing the format, hit the Export button.
You will get the same message as previously and the same follow-up email:
Clicking on the link in the email takes you to EarthExplorer to download the file. Once you hit the
Download Export File, you get the window on the left. Make sure Save File is checked, and click
OK.
This will download the file as a spreadsheet document into the download area of your computer:
You can click on the file to open, or open your spreadsheet program and navigate to open the file.
This file lists all 100 scenes (one in each row) that were found in our search under the tutorial for
Downloading USGS Lidar Datasets from EarthExplorer.
In addition, for each of the 100 scenes, the file lists information pertinent to each individual scene
(note the following two screenshots are the columns of data for scenes 1 – 8 from the Search
Results).
While this option provides details for all of your scenes, it does not open any map to place them on
the Earth’s surface. You can load the spreadsheet file into ArcMap and then use display xy data, but
the next option provides a better choice.
Go back to the Click here to export your results button and choose Shapefile. Remember, after
choosing the format, hit the Export button. The same process occurs, and you get an email with a
download link.
Again, clicking on the link within the email, it takes you to EarthExplorer to download the file. Once
you hit the Download Export File, you see the window on the left. Make sure Save File is checked,
and click OK.
This is a zipped file, so you will need to go to the download area of your computer and unzip it,
placing it in the location on your computer for your shapefiles.
If you then look in ArcCatalog, you see a shapefile in the Table of Contents:
And in the Preview window, the polygons are displayed:

If you switch to Table View, you get the Attribute Table, which lists all the same data that were
populated in the spreadsheet file above.
Attribute Table – shows 100 polygons (features) and some of the same metadata that are populated in
the spreadsheet file. These download options for metadata can help you decide which scenes you
wish to download for the actual lidar data.
You can add the shapefile to ArcMap and overlay it on your state boundaries. This also helps you
decide if the lidar data actually covers your area of interest. The USGS lidar dataset for Virginia is
on the Eastern Shore.
Zoom to layer:
Or select an individual feature and use the Identify button to get the information so you can download
a specific dataset:
Metadata for an individual scene
There are multiple options for looking at metadata for an individual scene. The first option is to click
on the scene image on the left side of each scene listing in the EarthExplorer Results window.
When you click on the scene’s image, you get the Full Display of… that specific scene, as displayed
below. There is a scroll bar on the right side of this window; as you scroll down, there is a lot of
information.
First, how are these parameters defined? If you click on any parameter in the left column, you will go
to the USGS website, where it defines each parameter.
For example, Pulse Density is defined as “the number of pulses per square meter for each tile…,”
and Project is defined as “A name given to a set of lidar point cloud data files that identifies the area
and year of coverage.”
The next screenshot shows you the entire list of parameters that are available for each scene, as
derived from metadata by clicking on the scene’s image. These parameters are unique for each scene
and include some information that you need to know when working with an individual lidar dataset.
We will discuss other pertinent information in subsequent tutorials.
These data also contain information that you can use to search again in EarthExplorer and limit your
searching parameters, should you need to download the dataset a second time.
At the bottom of this window is the FGDC Format button. The FGDC is the Federal Geographic
Data Committee who publishes standards for metadata formatting (https://www.fgdc.gov/). As you
can see, the data is more or less in text file format, but it contains much more information, including
contact information for the USGS related to these data.
If you click on Table Format, it takes you back to the original screen.
In the prior tutorial, we also downloaded XML Metadata Product when we were downloading the
LAZ and LAS Products.
We received the following download window, which we saved, and it appears as a XML file in the
download area of your computer.
If you double click on this file or open it in Notepad, it looks like the following:
This is not very readable; we recommend that you import it into a spreadsheet file program.
The spreadsheet format will present each parameter in a separate row. Remember, this is metadata
for an individual scene, so it does not look like the exported spreadsheet file from the beginning of
this tutorial that represented all scenes from search results.
The data from this download are all the same data that you have reviewed from clicking on the scene
image in the Results window. Why is this format important? You now have the metadata on your
computer where you can refer to it as needed without going back to EarthExplorer.
Our next tutorial covers Preparing LAS Datasets for Use in ArcGIS 10.X. Within this tutorial, we
will also discuss some of the additional metadata that is important for you to know about your
specific dataset. The LAZ Product will be covered in the tutorial – Processing LAZ Datasets in
ArcGIS.
Tutorial 5: Preparing LAS Datasets for Use in ArcGIS
We will now begin using USGS LAS Datasets in ArcGIS, and we will be working in both
ArcCatalog and ArcMap. In ArcMap, you will need the 3D Analyst and Spatial Analyst Extensions
turned on, and you will need to turn on the toolbars for 3D Analyst, Spatial Analyst and LAS
Dataset. In ArcCatalog, you will need the 3D View Tools toolbar turned on.
You need to download the following two datasets; you can use their Entity ID numbers:
NM_Albuquerque_2010_000002
NM_Albuquerque_2010_000003
Remember from the tutorial Downloading USGS Lidar Datasets from EarthExplorer, you have
three choices when downloading:
We will be working with the LAS Product, so you only need to download that one item. Click Save
File and then OK.
You will need to do this for both NM_Albuquerque_2010 datasets:

Notice the second is just a little bit larger (5.0 MB vs. 4.9 MB). Again Save File.
Both files are now saved to your download folder as zipped files.
Right click on the file name and Extract All, and navigate to the file folder (using the Browse button)
in which you want to save the data:
Once you have identified the file folder, click on Extract. Do this for both downloaded files. After
you have extracted both zipped files, you will see these four files in your file folder:
The two files marked with the red arrows above contain the metadata for each of your downloaded
files.
However, if you just click on them, the file opens in Notepad, which is very difficult to read. Yes, you
need to read your metadata!
So, we recommend that you import your metadata into a spreadsheet file for easy of viewing and
reading:
DO NOT try to open the .las files in ArcMap. If you try, you won’t be able to find them. We have to
process these files beforehand. There are two ways: in ArcCatalog or by using a Data Management
tool in ArcMap. We will do ArcCatalog first.
Creating a New LAS Dataset in ArcCatalog
Open ArcCatalog, and locate the file folder in which you extracted your lidar datasets. As you can
see, the only items visible, even in ArcCatalog, are the .xml files.
We can change this. Go to Customize and click on ArcCatalog Options.
You get the ArcCatalog Options dialog box. Click on the File Types tab, and then click on New Type.
You will get this dialog box.
Under File extension type LAS. Under Description of type, we put LAS Lidar point cloud, but you
may put whatever you feel best describes LAS Datasets.
Click OK.
As you can see LAS extension has now populated in the ArcCatalog Options dialog box. Once it
appears, click OK at the bottom of this dialog box.
Now go back to the ArcCatalog Table of Contents, and you see that the .las files are now listed. You
still can’t view the point cloud, but the files are there.
For our next steps, we will create a file to help display the point cloud.
Right click on the file folder where you want to put your new dataset, and you get the following
dialog box:
Right click on New and you get this dialog box:
Left click on LAS Dataset. A new data set will be displayed in the Contents window.
If you place your cursor on New LasDataset.lasd, ArcCatalog produces a reminder message about
what extensions you must have in order to work with LAS Datasets.
Although your Contents window says you have a New LasDataset.lasd, the dataset is actually empty.
At this juncture, I renamed my dataset Albuquerque.
Now, right click on the dataset and left click on Properties.
You will get the LAS Dataset Properties dialog box. As you can see, the dataset is empty.
Make sure that Store relative path names to data sources is checked. We will discuss this shortly.
Click on the LAS Files tab. It shows no files.
If you click on the down arrow next to Show (red box above), you can add an individual File, an
entire file Folder, or Spatial Reference if you dataset is not georeferenced (did you look in your
metadata?).
At the bottom of the dialog box, you need to click on Add Files or Add Folders and navigate to your
folder containing your LAS downloaded datasets. For this tutorial, it does not matter whether you
choose Add Files or Add Folders because we are only working with 2 files. If you click on Add
Folders, and then click on the file folder, it will add both files.
DO NOT click on OK yet! We need to look at each tab on in the LAS Dataset Properties box.
What you have now done is provided a link to the lidar datasets of your newly created LAS Dataset
for Albuquerque. ArcGIS does not import these into a new file; it just creates a link to the data in your
LAS Dataset. This is important to remember because, if you change the location of the lidar datasets,
your created LAS Dataset will not be able to find them. Therefore, check the Store relative path
names to data sources box. This is also important to remember when we work on classifying your
individual points – it will change the original dataset.
Now go back to the General tab. You can see that there are two files, and you see the number of total
LAS Points (771,323) and other statistics related to the entire dataset. Of particular interest is that
this area is relatively flat: there is only a 14.21-m range in elevation values.
Click on the Surface Constraints tab. You can add feature classes, such as shapefiles for breaklines,
water polygons, or an area of interest to constrain the data. We will not add anything to this tab, but
we will discuss Surface Constraints in more detail in the tutorial Adding Surface Constraints to
an LAS Dataset.
Now go to the Statistics tab. You can see that no statistics have been calculated for these two LAS
datasets. Click on Calculate (red box below).
If you are working with more than one file, you can actually calculate statistics on a per-file basis.
However, this could take a long time, depending on the number of files you have. We will show you
those steps here, but we recommend that you calculate statistics on this tab.
Go back to the LAS Files tab, where the last column is titled Statistics. Click on the … button.
This will take you to the statistics dialog box for that individual LAS dataset. It automatically
calculated the statistics when you clicked on the … button.
You can click on the Previous File and Next File buttons to take you to the other LAS Datasets that
you have added to your new file. If you are not sure that the statistics are up to date, you can click the
box next to Force Recalculate.
Now return to the Statistics tab. As you can see, the statistics are more than just mathematical
statistics. It provides information on many variables, as it is actually reading the LAS header
information. It lists Attributes: how many returns – 1 to 3, how many classes assigned – 2, and it
includes the scan angle (very important depending on what you are analyzing). Under Returns, it
gives you a count of how many First, Second, Third, Last, and how many are Single returns. This
tells you that our area was not very complex because most of the returns are First and only Single
returns, and the number of Last and First returns are almost the same. Under Classification Codes, it
also shows that most of our returns are Ground.
Statistics are additional metadata information that you need to know for your lidar data. How many
points are unassigned classification? Can we assign these? Yes, and we will do so under the tutorial
Classifying Unassigned Points in a Point Cloud.
When processing lidar data (e.g., in creating digital elevation models), you need to consider the Point
Spacing. Point Spacing information is found on the LAS Files tab and is calculated for each
individual dataset.
Now let’s look at the other tabs.
Click on XY Coordinate System tab. It has already loaded information from the metadata:
NAD83_UTM_zone_13N.
Click on Z Coordinate System. It shows unknown, so we need to complete this area.
Look at your metadata, and under the Vertical Coordinate Systems folder in the above dialog box,
search for your vertical system. Make sure you pick the one for meters.
Once you have chosen it, you can now click OK, because we have completed all information in all
tabs under the LAS Dataset Properties dialog box.
In the Table of Contents, click on the dataset, and you see it now it in the Contents window on the
right.
Click on the Preview tab. Remember, you downloaded and added two lidar datasets, but they display
as one point cloud.
If you zoom in, you can see the individual points of
You can also click on the Preview dropdown box and change to 3D View.
Now we will show you how to do this same process, but within ArcMap.
Creating a new LAS dataset in ArcMap
Open ArcMap and the ArcToolbox, find Data Management > LAS Dataset > Create LAS Dataset.
Double click on the tool, and you get a dialog box.

The entries are very similar to what you did in ArcCatalog. You can add individual Files or whole
File Folders.
In this Tool, you name your Output LAS Dataset, and you do not have to rename it like we did in
ArcCatalog.
You can add the Coordinate System, if your data are not already georeferenced. Click on Compute
Statistics and Store Relative Paths (these two boxes were unchecked when we opened the tool). You
can also add Surface Constraints (which will be covered in another tutorial).
Then click OK.
After the tool runs, it adds the file to the Table of Contents and displays the data in the Map
Document window. ArcMap automatically symbolized the data, so your display may look slightly
different.
In the Table of Contents, right click on the file name and go to Properties – Symbology. You change
the Symbology as you would with any other file. We will discuss Symbology in more detail in the
tutorial LAS Dataset Properties in ArcMap.
If you click on the Source tab under properties, you can see some information about your dataset.
You now know how to make a new LAS dataset usable in ArcGIS from your USGS downloaded LAS
Dataset. In subsequent tutorials, we will show you how to work with your LAS Datasets in different
ways.
We will use this specific dataset for Albuquerque, along with four additional Albuquerque lidar
datasets from EarthExplorer, in the next two tutorials: Adding Files to an Existing LAS Dataset
and LAS Dataset Properties in ArcMap.
For tutorials Exploring the LAS Dataset Toolbar in ArcMap, Exploring the 3D Analyst Toolbar in
ArcMap, Creating a Digital Elevation Model using a Lidar Dataset, Statistics for LAS Datasets,
Adding Surface Constraints to an LAS Dataset, Classifying Unassigned Points in a Point Cloud,
Creating a Lidar Intensity Image in ArcMap, and Using Lidar Data in ArcScene, you will
download data for Kentucky from EarthExplorer.
Tutorial 6: Adding Files to an Existing LAS Dataset
In this tutorial, we are going to add additional LAS datasets to the dataset you created in the last
tutorial: Preparing LAS Datasets for Use in ArcGIS.
You will need to download additional files from EarthExplorer:
· NM_Albuquerque_2010_000042
Adding files to an existing dataset in ArcCatalog
Once you have downloaded and unzipped the files, open ArcCatalog. Navigate to the LAS dataset
that you created in ArcMap for the last tutorial. Use the one created in ArcMap, not ArcCatalog; you
will understand why shortly.
Right click on the file name, and left click on Properties.
Once the Properties dialog box opens, click on the LAS Files tab. As you can see, the files that you
added in the last tutorial are displaying.
Go to the bottom of the dialog box and click on Add Files or Add Folders, and navigate to the
location of the new datasets. Note that you can add the folder, even if the files already listed are in
that same folder. The duplicate files will not be added, only the new ones will.
We now have six datasets connected to our Albuquerque LAS file.
Before you click OK, go to the Statistics tab, where you see that the statistics were automatically
updated. It reports Statistics up to date; if they were not, the Update button would be enabled. If you
ever find this button enabled, click on it to update the statistics. If, while reviewing statistics in this
dialog box, you are not sure if they were updated, click the box next to Force recalculate.
Now, check each additional tab to make sure all data have been added correctly. Remember that you
can click on the … button in the Statistics column under LAS Files tab for individual files, but this is
time intensive.
When you get to the Z Coordinate System tab, you can see that is says Unknown. Why is this
unknown? We are using the file you created in ArcMap from the prior tutorial; the Create LAS
Dataset tool in ArcMap does not have the Z Coordinate System option. You will need to update this
field. Do you remember what your Z datum is? How do you check it? Once you have added the
correct Z Datum, click OK.
Now click on the dataset in the Table of Contents and click the Preview tab. Your LAS dataset has
been updated with the new datasets. We chose datasets that were the neighboring datasets east of the
original ones we chose for the last tutorial. Do you remember how to figure out what files would be
contiguous to these? If not, go back to the tutorial Metadata for USGS Lidar Datasets to review.
Change the Preview from Geography to 3D View.
In the prior tutorial, we zoomed in to see the individual points in the Geography view. Here we have
zoomed in using 3D View, and you can see the visualization of the higher elevations in the distance.
Zooming in and out with 3D View requires different operations because Zoom-In, Zoom-Out, and
Pan Buttons are not enabled. You can only use the mouse to perform these functions in 3D View.
Adding files to an existing dataset in ArcMap
Let’s perform the same function in ArcMap. This time, we are going to use the LAS dataset that you
created in the last tutorial using ArcCatalog. Open ArcMap, and add that file (I named the LAS
Dataset that I created in ArcCatalog Albuquerque; you may have chosen a different name).
Now go to Data Management Tools > LAS Dataset > Add Files to LAS Dataset.
The tool opens:
Your Input Dataset is the Albuquerque created in ArcCatalog in the last. For LAS Files or Folders
(optional), add the four new lidar files. Note there is not an update statistics option.
Click OK.
When the tool finishes, you will see:
Your display may appear differently than the one above. But you know that the data have been added
because the display has changed. Yet, this looks substantially different that the one that you created
earlier in ArcCatalog. (Remember, we have created two different datasets using the same LAS
downloads from EarthExplorer.)
The datasets are named differently, they display differently, but they contain the exact same data.
Remember, ArcMap symbology is randomly generated. But to be sure, add the other dataset to
ArcMap. Indeed, the files look different.
Go to Properties, Source tab for each dataset and you see that they are exactly the same:
You can adjust the symbology for either dataset. In the following screenshot, we adjusted the
symbology on the second dataset (the one we just appended in ArcMap). As you can see in the Table
of Contents, the full range of elevations is now displayed, although the categories are slightly
different.
We will discuss Data percentage in the tutorial LAS Dataset Properties in ArcMap.
Now that we have a relatively large dataset to use, in the next tutorial (LAS Dataset Properties in
ArcMap), we are going to discuss the information that you are seeing in the Properties dialog box in
more detail.
Tutorial 7: LAS Dataset Properties
In this tutorial, we will discuss Layer Properties for your Albuquerque LAS Dataset. We created two
datasets in the prior two tutorials but because we used the same downloaded lidar datasets from
EarthExplorer to create both, it does not matter which one you examine as we proceed with this
tutorial. Many of the Properties tabs are the same as with any other GIS layer (vector or raster), but
what you see in the dialog box may be just a little bit different. We will look at each tab.
Open ArcMap and add one of your Albuquerque LAS datasets. It should look similar to:
Right click on the name of the layer and go to Properties; click on General tab. This provides
information just like any other layer within ArcMap. Very little information is contained within the
General tab of the dialog box because we have not entered any information. We will not do so within
this tutorial; we assume that you understand ArcMap basics and know how to add information in the
description and how to use the Scale Range.
Click on the Source tab. We saw this tab in the last tutorial when we were comparing the two
datasets. This tab shows similar information as with a vector or raster file, except that it shows this is
Data Type: LAS Dataset; Z Range; Classification code statistics: only two types (many other LAS
datasets will have more classifications, as we will see in later tutorials); and LAS Files – 6
(remember, our ArcGIS-created LAS Dataset is actually a link to the six lidar datasets that we
downloaded from EarthExplorer). The screenshot below is really two screenshots pasted together;
you cannot see all the information at one time in ArcMap without using the scroll bar.
Now look at the Filter tab. This tab is one area (of many) that explains how your point cloud is being
displayed.
As you can see in the above dialog box, you can change what is displayed in ArcMap, either Classes
or Returns. Predefined Settings shows that All is (Default).
Under Classification Codes, there are only two choices – Unassigned and Ground. Remember our
file only has two classifications.
Under Returns, we have many more choices, but again this is governed by our file. Remember, we
only had three returns. Other files could have up to five returns.
What are Flags? Flags have specific meanings for LAS datasets. We refer you to ASPRS LAS
specification version 1.4–R13 at http://www.asprs.org/Committee-General/LASer-LAS-File-Format-
Exchange-Activities.html. But we will also discuss these a bit later in the tutorial Classifying
Unassigned Points in a Point Cloud.
You can change the settings either by clicking on or off in the boxes by the Classifications or by the
Return types, or by selecting the buttons in Predefined Settings.
All of these will alter what is displayed within the Map document window.
The next few screenshots shows what happens when we change these settings.
In this screenshot, we clicked on Ground under Classification Codes (we left Returns as All
Returns), and it only displays those point of the point cloud that were classified as Ground. Ovals
highlight some specific areas that will change.
In this screenshot, we clicked on Unassigned in Classification Codes. Look in the circular areas of
both the previous screenshot, and the screenshot below, for the most noticeable changes.
For the following screenshot, we left All Classes but clicked on Single Return. Remember from the
first tutorial (What is Lidar and How do I Get Data?), single returns are likely open areas so that
explains why this display looks very similar to the Ground classification display above (another
dataset may be different).
For this last example, I clicked Return 2 – this shows the least amount of the point cloud.
Why so few points with Return 2? Our dataset for Albuquerque is not very complex; it is mostly open
terrain.
Why are there different colors being displayed in the prior screen shots? Remember, the symbology
for the point cloud was color-coded by elevation or Z-value. That has not been changed; we are just
selecting which points of the point cloud are being displayed. Knowing which returns are being
displayed is very important, especially when we discuss the Symbology tab in more detail below.
Clicking on these different returns will also change what lidar points are being included in any
processing of the dataset. We will discuss this again in subsequent tutorials.
Now click on Surface Constraints. Nothing is displayed within this dialog box because we did not
add any Surface Constraints. We will do that in another tutorial: Adding Surface Constraints to
your LAS Dataset.
Now click on Symbology (we will skip Display for now). Symbology looks similar to symbology for
vector and raster files, except in the Show: area, it says LAS point elevation. Remember from
Filters, the points being displayed are All returns. When working with symbology, you need to
decide if you want to display all returns or just a portion of the returns. This will become clearer as
we proceed.
Although LAS point elevation is displayed as points, default symbology is not the same as point
symbology, as seen in the following screenshot from a point vector file:
You can, however, change the Color Ramp for LAS Datasets and change the classification scheme.
Click on Classify. (We will discuss additional options after we discuss the Classify… dialog box.)
You get the same dialog box as with a vector or raster file.
Change the Method: Equal Interval and Classes to 14. Click OK.
Then click Apply. Remember Symbology is just a display mechanism for the data; it does not classify
the data.
Now, let’s examine some additional options. Underneath the Show: box, you see two buttons: Add…
and Remove. Click on Add…
This gives you some additional symbology options, called Add Renderer. If you click once on an
option, it will highlight and provide you with an image in the little window on the right. This is an
example of what this option will give you. Of course, the final results will depend on your actual
dataset and which returns you have selected under Filters (a decision you need to make depending on
which symbology from the list you want).
Let’s explore a couple. To add an option to the Symbology window, click on it to highlight it and then
click Add. After you click Add, you have to either click Dismiss or close out the window with the x
in the upper right hand corner. When working with Add Renderer, you can have both the Layer
Properties and Add Renderer dialog boxes open next to each other (as seen below), one of the rare
instances in ArcMap that you can use one dialog box without needing to close the other.
Now, click on the first option: LAS Point elevation with graduated color ramp. Click Add. This
option is actually the same as the default symbology, so let’s remove it. Highlight it in the Layer
Properties Show window, and then click on Remove.
Next, click on LAS attribute grouped with unique symbol, then click Add. We will look at the
results after we add some additional symbolization.
Click on Contour with the same symbol, click Add. As you can see in the Layer Properties Show
section, each symbolization type is being added. Nothing has changed in your Map Document
window because we have not yet hit Apply.
First, let’s add two more: Face aspect with graduated color ramp
and Face elevation with graduated color ramp. Then close Add Renderer.
As you can see in the Layer Properties Show window, you now have five different symbology
options (red box below). Note that all five are checked. This means when we hit Apply, all five will
display in the Table of Contents (blue box below) and Map Document window, just like multiple
raster or shapefiles will display. They will be layered one on top of another, but you can only see the
top one in the Map Document window.
We can’t examine all at one time, so uncheck all of the layers except Elevation.
To make sure that the correct symbology legend is showing in the box on the left, make sure that in the
Show window, the symbology type is also highlighted. Here is it not correct as we have the
Elevation on top checked but the LAS point elevation highlighted. Just click on Elevation and the
symbology will change.
Click Apply.
The elevations appear similar in the Table of Contents as in the default setting (but showing polygon
symbols instead of points), and visually different in the Map Document window. If you don’t like the
categories, change them with the Classify… option under symbology.
Go back to Properties – Symbology and uncheck Elevation and check LAS point attribute.
Remember, we only had two classifications: Ground and Unassigned; this option symbolizes the
points according to the Classification scheme. You can change individual colors and point size, just
like you would with a point shapefile.
Let’s look at Aspect next. Yes this is aspect – intercardinal and cardinal direction of the terrain’s
face. Question – is it appropriate to use All returns when displaying aspect? Do you want aspect just
to include the ground or even buildings, treetops, bushes?
Now, uncheck all but Contour. We ask you to consider a similar question here: should contour
include only ground returns? It will depend on your dataset and your purpose.
Since Contour symbology is lines, they can be displayed on top of the other symbology. So, let’s
move Contour to the top of the list by clicking the up arrow in the Show window, and also check
Elevation.
You can change the intervals on the Contour lines. Below, we have changed Contour interval to one
meter.
You can experiment with the symbology further. Remember, this is just symbolizing for display
purposes, and you cannot save any of these changes as a new dataset.
Display tab
The rest of this tutorial will be covering the Display tab. Before we click on the Display tab, we need
to look at some information in your Table of Contents. You may have already noticed that under the
name of your file are the words Data Percentage: 4.2. Remember, we have over 6 million points in
our dataset, and ArcMap does not display them all. This percentage tells you how much ArcMap has
[1]
“thinned ” them. This percentage will change as you zoom in and out, as you pan to other areas in
the display window. It is a random operation, so you do not know at any one time which points are
actually being displayed and which ones are not. You could zoom in, zoom out, and then zoom back in
and the points being displayed may not necessarily be the same points displayed before you zoomed
out. Even if the percentage remains the same, the actual points may have changed. However, you can
control these to a certain extent, using the options under the Display tab.
Click on the Display tab (under the layer’s Properties dialog box).
First, look toward the bottom of the dialog box; Transparency can be set just like for any vector or
raster file. You can also have ArcMap not Display data percentage in table of contents; the default
is checked so it does display.
Next look at the middle: LAS File Extents. The default is that these two boxes are unchecked. Check
Always display LAS file extents, and then Display LAS file names become enabled; check that box
also.
The red boxes are the borders of the individual six USGS lidar datasets that we combined to make
this LAS file for use in ArcGIS. In addition, because we checked Display LAS file names, it
displays the EarthExplorer Entity ID.
The most important area for affecting Scalability or Thinning is under Rendering Preferences,
which is the top part of the Display dialog box.
The first area we are going to change is Point Density, using the sliding bar. Default setting is right in
the middle, with 6 Points displayed per centimeter on screen.
Slide this bar all the way to the left for Coarse. It now shows 1 point per centimeter and data
percentage at 0.697.
The display in the Map Document window has changed dramatically.
Now slide the bar all the way to the right, for Fine.
We now have 10 Points per centimeter on screen and a Data percentage of 7.0.
Now move the sliding bar back to center, and instead change the point limit. Below we have changed
the point limit to 1 million. This changed the data percentage to 0.931.
In the next example, we changed this to 4 million, with Data percentage increasing to 4.2
We do not show screenshots of the changes in the Map Document window, because you really can’t
see any changes when you increase the point limit or increase the density of the points. Note that
ArcMap has an upper limit of 5 million for this area.
If you zoom into a specific area and then change these variables in the Display tab, you will be able
to visually see the changes in the Map Document window, and the Data percentage is also changing
– 29.4 in the below screenshot:
You can get it to reach 100%, if you are zoomed in and check Use scale to control full resolution.
While you are working with these settings, your Map Document window and the information in the
Table of Contents for Data percentage may not mirror those in this tutorial. Another factor that will
control what is being displayed with these settings is your monitor. A larger monitor will have a
larger Map Document display window and thus be able to show gaps between points or a higher
density.
We are now finished with the Properties dialog box for your lidar dataset and finished using the
Albuquerque files. For the next tutorial (Exploring the LAS Dataset Toolbar in ArcMap), we are
going to be using a different dataset.
Tutorial 8: Exploring the LAS Dataset Toolbar
Preparing for this tutorial
For this tutorial, we will review different options in the LAS Dataset Toolbar. We will be using the
following Lidar Datasets:
· ARRA-NRCS_Kentucky_2010_000001
Download them from the USGS in EarthExplorer and create one dataset for use in ArcMap. Once
finished, your image should look something like these, using 3D View in ArcCatalog:
But, before we proceed, try to answer the following questions:

· How many LAS points are within your new dataset?
· How many returns were acquired?
· What percentage of returns are single returns?
· How many classifications were made from the returns?
· What is the elevation range?
· What is the pulse density for ARRA-NRCS_KENTUCKY_2010_000059?
Using LAS Dataset Toolbar
If you have not already done so, open ArcMap™ and add your new Hopkinsville, Kentucky LAS
dataset. Then right click anywhere in the toolbar area and add the LAS Dataset Toolbar
Once you have added the toolbar, the Hopkinsville LAS dataset will automatically populate in the
toolbar.
Did your dataset display in the Map Document window? Or does it look like this, with the Data
percentage at 0? Because the outlines of each lidar dataset are showing, ArcMap is indicating that
your data are there, but it can’t display the point cloud.
We have over 21 million points now and a much more complex dataset. In the last tutorial, we
reviewed the Display and Filter tabs under Properties. You can either adjust these settings so that
your point cloud displays or just zoom into an area and the point cloud will populate the Map
Document window.
If you zoom into the southeastern corner of the dataset, you can see the footprints of buildings within
the dataset:
These buildings are much more apparent if you change the Filter to just ground returns.
For now, just leave the Filter for all returns and stay zoomed in to the southeast corner.
Filters
We are going to skip the next two buttons and explore Filters.
Click on the down arrow next to Filters, and you can change the point cloud that appears in the Map
Document window, from All returns to Ground, Non Ground, or First Return.
These Filters will become extremely important when we work in other tutorials and we need to
designate which returns to use when processing the data.
Change each one of these, one at a time, and see how the display changes.
Ground:
Non Ground:
First Return: Do you know what First Return is? Have you found the waterbody?
Symbolize Buttons
Go back to the LAS Dataset Toolbar and look at the two icons next to your dataset name.
These are symbology buttons. If you hover your mouse over each one, they will likely both say
elevation. They are different, just like when we worked on the Symbology tab under Properties in the
tutorial LAS Dataset Properties in ArcMap. The dataset with which we are now working is much
more complex, so we are going to look at each one. If you click on the down arrow next to either
icon, you get additional symbology options.
Click one at a time and see how the symbology changes in the ArcMap Document window.
In the tutorial LAS Dataset Properties in ArcMap, we discussed Filters under the Properties tab.
These Filters work in the same way, and as you can see from prior screenshots, we are definitely
working with symbolization for which it may be appropriate to only use Ground returns. Elevation
under the first button is the default, so you have already seen what happens to the display when you
change Filters to Ground returns on prior pages.
For now, leave Filters for All returns. Then, click on the Class button; we have five different classes
in this dataset.
Next, click on the Return button; this dataset has four returns.
Now, let’s look at the next button, where we have choices – Elevation, Slope, Aspect, and Contour.
For these, we should definitely only look at Ground returns because they are surface parameters.
Let’s see what it looks like first with All returns.
Click on Elevation (do you see the highway?) This image does have a waterbody; can you find it?
Notice with all returns, you can easily see the tops of trees and buildings.
Now go to Filters and change it to Ground returns. The Map Document display automatically
updates. We have much different results, just showing the Elevation related to ground only.
For Aspect, Slope and Contours, leave the setting for Ground returns.
Surface Aspect:
Slope (default setting for slope in ArcGIS is degrees, not percentage):

Contour lines:
Our symbology for this LAS Dataset is much more complex, but also much more interesting.
Pan Options
Now, we will explore the Pan buttons: left, right, up, and down. Click on any one, and it moves the
point cloud in that direction.
You can adjust settings (i.e., how far it moves) by going to Pan Options. On the toolbar, click on the
down arrow next to the words LAS Dataset and chose Pan Options. You can then change the settings
in the window as to how far you will move in any direction using the Pan buttons.
Profile View
Up to this point in ArcMap, we have been looking at the point cloud from above. Now we are going
to look at the profile of the point cloud in selected areas. Find Profile View in the LAS Dataset
Toolbar
When you hold your cursor over the button, you will see the following information:
When you click on that Profile View button, you will see a crosshairs: +
Then move your mouse into the Map Document window and right click anywhere in the window.
Right clicking starts a line. Slide your mouse in any direction (no need to hold any buttons down). As
you are moving the mouse, the line gets longer. The crosshairs will stay at the opposite end of the line
from where you started the line (note - the crosshairs in the below screenshot are exaggerated).
While you are making the line, in the upper left hand corner of the Map Document window, ArcMap
tells you how long the line is.
This line is creating the division in your terrain for which you are going to create the profile.
Once you have decided that your line is long enough, right click again. You will then see a box with a
line through the middle. The line in the middle is the line you just created. The direction that you
move the mouse is the direction of look. If you move the mouse up, creating the box towards the north,
you will be looking at the north profile of the dataset at that division in the terrain. If you move the
mouse down, it’s a southern look.
The longer you create the line, the less depth that you will have in making the box.
One of two things will happen as you are creating the depth of your box. First, you will see the
crosshairs at the upper right corner of the box; the crosshairs will always stay crosshairs if you stay
within the limits imposed by ArcMap for making the profile. As long as you see the crosshairs, you
can right click a third time and the Profile View window will open. If you exceed the limit, you will
see this symbol:
You can change the limit for the depths of your profile box. Go up to the LAS Dataset Toolbar, and
click on the down arrow next to the words LAS Dataset.
Click on Profile Tool Options and you can change the number of points (the Point Budget) that can
be included in the creation of your profile box.
If you still see the error symbol, just move your mouse backwards a bit until you get the crosshairs
again. These steps need practice. Once you have done it a few times, it becomes easier.
Within Profile View, you are seeing a very small subset of the total number of lidar points. Each time
you do a profile, in the upper left corner of the Map Document window, you find information on the
point cloud seen in the Profile View – the areal measurements and the point count.
The next few screenshots provide you with a 360⁰ look around one line. For orientation purposes, I
have added a point to the Map Document window so we can keep the line oriented around a specific
location. We are working in the southeastern area of the lidar point cloud. Can you find the location
indicated by the point in your own file?
Create a profile look box around the point, looking southwest, (i.e., after I drew the line, I then moved
the mouse towards the southwest.) Do this for each direction.
Looking southwest:
Looking southeast:
Looking northeast:
Looking northwest:
What are you seeing? Looking southwest and northeast, you are seeing a road, lined with trees on
either side, within a mobile home park. Looking southeast and northwest, you are seeing the different
sides of the streets and the roof lines of the mobile homes. How do we know these are mobile homes?
You could check aerial photos for the same location and compare to the lidar point cloud in the same
area, but look at the original Map Document window. What types of structures do you usually see
lined up in such a way?
It is essential that you master navigating and creating different profile views throughout the point
cloud, so following are a series of screenshots, all completed with Profile View over the
southeastern corner of the Hopkinsville dataset. The images have been created with different line
lengths, different depths, and from different directions. Can you find and recreate each image? What
do you see within each image?
Once you have mastered using Profile View, look in the upper left corner of the Profile View
window for some tools to use:
Navigate Zoom in Zoom out Pan Full Extent Refresh Measure Select Points by
Envelope
Clear Selected
Points
We discuss three buttons in more detail: Point Information, Options, and Edit.
Point Information – this button works just like the Identify button in the main ArcMap toolbar.
Click on it, then click on any point within the Profile View window and it gives you a dialog box
with information about that specific point:
But we are talking about many, many points, even though we have just a limited subset. How this
button is different is the Flash button at the bottom of the dialog box.
If you click on Flash, it flashes to the exact point in the Profile View window AND in the main Map
Document window.
Next, the Options button allows you to make simple symbology changes in the Profile View window:
Default:
Changes using the dropdown arrows:
Results of change:
Finally, the Edit button opens a dialog box in which you can change the classification codes for
points.
We will discuss this dialog box and changing class codes in more detail in the tutorial Classifying
Unassigned Points in a Point Cloud. Let’s now move on to the next button on the LAS Dataset
Toolbar.
3D View
Hold your mouse over the 3D View icon in the LAS Dataset Toolbar:
This button provides a 3D view of the point cloud that is showing in the Map Document window, not
the entire dataset.
The following are a series of screenshots, zooming in and out in the Map Document window and
then clicking on 3D View. Be patient when using this button; it takes some time to process.
You can see we are zooming out because the waterbody is getting smaller.
Like the Profile View window, the 3D View window has its own set of tools. However, these are for
viewing purposes only, and there is not an edit options. In the two screenshots following, we have
used the Zoom in for a closer view of the water body and the mobile home park.
We have now concluded with our review of the LAS Dataset Toolbar. The next tutorial (Exploring
the 3D Analyst Toolbar in ArcMap) will conclude your introduction to lidar datasets in ArcGIS. We
will continue using the Hopkinsville Kentucky dataset.
Answers to the questions on the first page of this tutorial
· How many LAS points are within your new dataset? 21,154,531
· How many returns were acquired? 4
· What percentage of returns are single returns? 72.92
· How many Classifications were made from the returns? 5
· What is the elevation range? 68.1 meters
· What is the pulse density for ARRA-NRCS_KENTUCKY_2010_000059? 3.72071
Tutorial 9: Exploring the 3D Analyst Toolbar
Your ArcGIS software must have two extensions to work with lidar data. We explored the first one in
the tutorial on Exploring the LAS Dataset Toolbar in ArcMap. We will now explore the second: 3D
Analyst.
Open ArcMap, right click anywhere in the tool bar area, and check 3D Analyst, if it is not already
checked.
Then go to Customize > Extensions, and when the Extensions dialog box opens, click on 3D
Analyst.
3D Analyst will now be enabled, and the tool bar will display.
Now add your Hopkinsville, Kentucky LAS Dataset to ArcMap. When you add this file, it will not
only populate in the Table of Contents but also in the 3D Analyst toolbar. But, as you can see, most
of the buttons on the 3D Analyst toolbar are not enabled. We first have to process the LAS Dataset
into a TIN.
What is a TIN? A TIN is the abbreviation for a Triangulated Irregular Network. A TIN is a vector
representation of digital surfaces, considered to be concise and flexible representations of terrain
surfaces. (An alternative is the familiar raster data structure.) TINs are constructed from three points
(vertices of a triangle). Different methods of interpolation can be used in constructing TINs; ArcGIS
[2]
uses Delaunay triangulation . The edges of each triangle are contiguous and can represent features
such as ridgelines or stream beds, and the faces of each triangle do not overlap.
Leave your Filters set for All return (you will understand why later in this tutorial). Open
ArcToolbox and go to 3D Analyst Tools > Conversion > From LAS Dataset >LAS Dataset to TIN
Many different options exist within this tool. Be sure that your Help window is enabled to assist in
your decision-making process. Your specific dataset will govern many of the decisions that you make
here, especially the number of total lidar points and the point density.
Your Input LAS Dataset is your Hopkinsville, Kentucky file. Make sure your Output Location is
correct in the Output TIN address and name your TIN. As you see below, we have changed the tool
settings from the default. In experimenting with this particular dataset, the best options are shown
below. If you do not select the correct options for your specific dataset, for example Thinning Type –
the tool will fail, usually because of the size of the dataset. You can experiment with different settings
in this tool for our dataset, but don’t let it frustrate you if the tool fails several times. Check the failure
message each time and, in most case, it is because the Thinning Type is not sufficient. If you need
help with this decision, click Tool Help.
Once your tool looks the same as above, click OK.
Results:
Now, if you look in the 3D Analyst toolbar, you will that the buttons are still not enabled, but if you
click the arrow next to your dataset name, you will see more options for which dataset to use. The
TIN dataset is now one of them.
If you click on the TIN name and let it populate, as you see the other buttons (except one) are now
enabled. We will explore each one.
First, click the arrow next to 3D Analyst, and click on Options.
You will get the 3D Analyst Options dialog box. The Interpolation tab has options for which method
to use when using the point, line and polygon interpolation tools. We will not review each of these
options and their meanings -- we are just pointing out that they can be changed.
The Graph Data tab is more important, allowing you to save any graphs that you create using these
tools. You can also identify the location in which to save your data. You don’t have to designate it
here; you will see options to do that in other areas. But, more importantly, if you have developed a
specific template for a graph and wish to use that for this project, you can load the template here.
Creating a template is beyond the scope of this tutorial.
The first button to the right of our TIN name is Create Contour.
You can create contours for the entire TIN (a visual display only) or for just a section of the TIN.
When you click on the button and move your mouse to the Map Document display, you will see this
icon.
Then click anywhere within the TIN where you want the contour. The tool creates a highlight box
around the area. In the screenshot below, I have created contours (the black lines) in several areas. If
you have created a contour where you don’t want it, you can delete it. Just outline the contour with the
highlighted box, then click on your computer’s delete button.
You can create large

or small boxes.
The contour icon does not go away and will keep creating contours, unless you click on the Select
Elements arrow in the main toolbox.
When you have a specific area highlighted with the box, you can double-click on any created contour
line and get a Properties dialog box for that specific contour. Be sure you are clicking on the contour
line, not the highlight box line. (Note, you need to make sure you have stopped the contour icon before
doing this.)
At the top of the Properties dialogue box is a number that represents the elevation of that particular
contour. Within this box, you can change the contour line symbology, just as you would be able to do
with any line file.
Click on the Length tab. It provides you with information on the length of the contour line and the
coordinates for both the starting and ending points. You can change the distance measurement from
meters to other distances by clicking on this arrow.
Now click on the Size and Position tab. This option provides additional details, including the
elevation of the contour line (Element Name), the Size of the highlight box, and the Position
coordinates of the lower left corner of the box (you can change corner by clicking on one of these
smaller boxes).
You can view the same information for any other contour line that you have created. In the screenshot,
I have clicked on the next contour line, just north of the one covered in the previous screenshots.
Now let’s go to the next button: Create Steepest Path.
You will get a crosshairs +. As soon as you click in the Map Document window on any area of the
TIN, it will automatically create a line, so choose carefully.
You do not have the option to control the length of the line. What this tool accomplishes is creating the
steepest downhill path from a specific point.
If you have chosen incorrectly, don’t worry; the result is not permanent. Just select the highlighted box
and press your computer’s delete button. This tool, like the contour tool, stays enabled unless you
click on the Select Element arrow on the main toolbar.
You also can double-click on the line and get a Properties dialog box. Under Length, this dialog box
provides you with the length of the steepest path.
Notice in the 3D Analyst toolbar, the final button has been enabled with the creation of a steepest path
line; this is the Profile Graph.
If you click on this button (be sure the highlight box is still around your path), a graph of the profile of
this path is displayed. The graph shows the outline of the path from the highest elevation to the
lowest.
Think back to the 3D Analyst Options dialog box, under the Graph Data tab. This is the graph! You
don’t need to go back to Options at this point; this was just a reminder.
You have additional options available to you with the Profile Graph. Right click on the graph to
activate a dialog box with many options.
You can print the graph as is. If you click on Print, it will bring up the Print Preview window for
your computer’s printer.
You can also Add to Layout, if you are creating a document in Layout View. You can Save. You can
Export – clicking on Export allows you to save the graph as another file type (e.g., JPEG, Bitmap,
etc.). We really don’t want to print, save, or export the graph as is right now. It needs some detail. So
let’s explore Advanced Properties and Properties.
Advanced Properties takes you to an Editing dialog box. In the below box, we changed the Title to
Steepest. We will not explore all of these tabs, but if you have worked with charts before in ArcMap,
these have similar functions. If you have not, then go to ArcGIS Help. Feel free to play with these
settings and see how it changes your Profile Graph.
Once you have finished, click on Close. Now click on Properties.
Here, likewise, you can change some properties of your graph, although not as detailed. Again, you
can play with these settings and your graph.
We are now going to proceed to the next button on the 3D Analyst tool bar: Creat Line of Sight.
You will be creating a line between two points. Click once on your TIN and then draw a line where
you want to see “line of sight” and then double click to end the line. Line of sight is a model of what
you can see between two points on the ground. This is why we used all returns to create your TIN.
Had we only used ground returns, we would not have included the trees and buildings that exist
between two points – those features can interfere with line of sight.
Once you start your line, you will see a dialog box that pops up in the upper left corner of ArcMap. It
will not pop up on the Map Document window, but in the very upper left corner. You can grab it and
move it down. Here, you can change settings for establishing line of sight parameters. You can set
those before you double click to end your line. We are going to leave them at default.
Now, pick a couple of points to create your line. Like all other tools, a highlight box is positioned
around the line. But this line is a little different – it and the points shown are in different colors.
The black point marks your starting point or the point where someone would be standing. The green
point indicates the point they are trying to see. The green segment of the line indicates where the
terrain is visible. If green, it can be seen by someone standing at the black point. The red lines
represent areas on the ground that cannot be scene when standing at the black point.
If you were to see any blue points, those represent points that cannot be seen by the person standing at
the black point. This line also has Properties:
More importantly, we can graph the profile, and the profile graph has the same color coding as the
line on the TIN. You can right click on the graph to get Options for this graph as well.
Now, let’s discuss the next three buttons. They are related to interpolation (which we also saw on the
3D Analyst Options dialog box). Let’s start with Interpolate Point. Click on the button, and then you
can pick any point on the TIN and a point is placed. It likewise has the highlighted box around it.
In the lower lefthand corner of ArcMap, the elevation of this point is provided.
You can also double-click on the point to open the Properties dialog box. You can change the
symbology just like any point file. The name at the top is your point’s elevation.
Now, click on Interpolate Line.
You will be creating the line by marking the starting point and the stopping point (double-click to
stop), across the profile of the TIN that you want. Below, I have created a profile to cross several
elevations.
You can double-click on the line to get the Properties dialog box. To stop creating lines, click on the
Select Elements arrow from the main ArcMap toolbar.
This is the Properties dialog box for an interpolated line:
You can also create a Profile Graph for your line. Make sure the highlighted box is around your line
before you click on the Profile Graph button.
You have all the same options for this Profile Graph as you did with the others discussed above.
Finally, click on Interpolate Polygon.
With this tool, you are creating a polygon over an area. The polygon does not have to have four sides
as shown below; it can have any shape you want. Why would you want a polygon? You cannot create
any Profile Graph, but you may have an area of interest that the TIN helps you identify. Creating a
polygon will allow you to maintain the boundaries of this area.
A polygon also has access to the Properties dialog box. In this case, the area is the area of the
polygon itself.
The last option we will discuss is the down arrow next to the Profile Graph button.
There are two additional options here. Since we don’t have a vector point dataset or a terrain point
dataset, these buttons are not enabled and thus are not used for an LAS dataset.
The final two buttons on the 3D Analyst toolbar are ArcScene™ and ArcGlobe™.
These two buttons launch these software programs. At this time, ArcGlobe does not support LAS
datasets. ArcScene does. Now that you have familiarity with 3D Analyst, you can proceed to the
tutorial Using Lidar Data in ArcScene.
Tutorial 10: Statistics for LAS Datasets
LAS Dataset Statistics Refresher
In the tutorial Preparing LAS Datasets for Use in ArcGIS, we calculated statistics for an entire LAS
dataset and individual lidar files within an LAS Dataset. As a reminder, when creating the LAS file in
ArcCatalog, one of the Properties tabs offers statistics characterizing lidar returns:
We advised use of the Update button within this dialog box, or Force recalculate, if you are unsure if
your statistics are up to date.
We also discussed checking the Compute Statistics box when creating your dataset using the Data
Management Tools. But these statistics are for the entire dataset, summarized in general, by
classification, or return type. They do not specifically provide a spatial reference for statistics in any
one area.
For that task, you could use the Identify button to find statistics related to one specific point.
Or, you can use the Information button in Profile View, although it does not give complete
information on a point.
Either of the preceding two options is useful when you require information for one specific point or a
few points, but they are not practical for acquiring information for hundreds or thousands of points
within a specified area. You could create a new polygon shapefile and add it as a constraint, but that
again will provide information for a limited area, or just a summary over that entire area.
Data Management Tools > LAS Dataset > LAS Point Statistics as Raster
ArcMap has a tool for extracting information from the entire dataset, which creates a raster file for a
specific piece of data: Data Management Tools > LAS Dataset > LAS Point Statistics as Raster.
We recommend that you work in a geodatabase when using this tool. For the Hopkinsville, Kentucky
LAS dataset, we are working with a dataset with over 21,000,000 returns, so it will be more efficient
to work within a geodatabase.
Before you proceed with this tutorial, create a new File Geodatabase. Because we want to get
statistics on the entire dataset, set the Filters for All returns. Open the tool. This tool creates a
summary raster dataset for each cell created. The size of the cell (Sampling Value) is set at default
for 10 (and since we are in meters, this would represent a 10-m cell size). You can change this setting
to any cell size.
If you look at the Method dropdown list, you have the following choices for return characteristic:
We will run some examples, first using Pulse Count and changing Sampling Value to 1.
Pulse Count:
Note that the red grid is the LAS Dataset grid showing in Full Extent, thus individual returns are not
showing. We ran this tool to provide us with the number of pulses within each 1-m cell.
Zooming into an area reveals individual returns in the display, showing that, for each 1-m grid cell,
the number of returns varies. For this Method, the tool totalled the number of pulses for each of these
cells to calculate the raster value, as shown below:
Why is this important? It might tell us where large expanses of impervious surfaces are located since
impervious surfaces will only generate one return.
Let’s run the tool again and leave the default sampling at 10. You can see from the Table of Contents
that the raster values are much different than using 1 as the sampling value. Why? The raster value is
the total count within 10-m x 10-m cells, 100 times the size of a 1-m square.
As you can see, using a cell size of 10 meters, we are able to see the roads (impervious surfaces)
more clearly.
Although the image in the Map Document window is interesting, we are more interested in the actual
raster values in each cell. Let’s run the same parameter but use 100 as the Sample Value.
This choice provides much coarser results and, for the limited area we are using as an example, is not
likely to provide useful information.
Now let’s run the tool for a couple of other parameters, all using 1 as Sampling Value.
Point Count:
This shows us areas with higher number of returns, which could be indicative of forested areas, since
trees will produce multiple returns.
Predominant Class:
For now, this tool does not show us very much because we only have two classes: grounds and
unassigned. Remember from prior tutorials that this dataset has a high percentage of unassigned
points. But with a fully classified dataset, this tool might be useful to show us where certain features
are predominantly within a scene (e.g., where the most mobile homes are located or a certain tree
species). Remember to look at help if you are unclear what each of the variables means.
Intensity Range:
Z Range:
Z range, ground returns:
Z range is not representing elevation but difference in low to high within the same 1-m cell. Now how
useful this figure is for all returns may be questionable, but it may be very important to know for
ground returns. So change Filters to Ground and then re-run this tool using the same inputs as the last
time. The highest different in ground elevation within each 1-m area is 11.67 m. Using ground returns
may be an important alternative for this tool, especially if looking for a specific area of a certain size
with less than a 10-m change in elevation (i.e., looking for an area that is pretty flat). You also may
wish to increase the cell size to accommodate such analysis. Once you have run this tool, you can then
use Raster Calculator to select only those cells with less than 10 as the rastervalue.
Create a Fishnet
So you are probably asking, “What does this get me? We have run the tool many times but I still don’t
have all the data in one place.” You have multiple raster files with the data spatially referenced. Each
1-m grid cell from file to file has the exact same extent. You can extract raster values to points for all
raster files. You can designate points, or if you want one big table with all 4 million points, you can
do that by creating a fishnet. Wait-- 4 million points; didn’t we start with over 21 million? Those 21
million points were multiple points within a 1-m area, so the total number has been reduced.
Data Management Tools > Feature Class > Create Fishnet
This is another tool that recognizes a LAS dataset as useful. You can use it as an input to limit the
extent of the fishnet. Once you enter the LAS Dataset as the Template Extent, the tool automatically
fills in the coordinate areas.
For this tool, we know the Number of Rows and Columns. If you look at the Properties – Source
tab for any of the new raster datasets created above, it shows 2000 rows and 2000 columns. Use
those values here. This tool will then create 1-m grid cells.
Make sure that Create Label Points is checked as this part of the tool creates a second shapefile – a
point shapefile with the point being placed at the exact center of each polygon. I have changed
Geometry Type to Polygon (Polyline is the default). For our purposes, this really does not matter
because it is the point shapefile that we want.
The tool will take some time to run, but you will have 4 million 1-m2 polygons within a polygon
shapefile. You will also have a second shapefile – a point shapefile with 4 million points.
This display is zoomed in to show one area for the larger dataset. The polygon shapefile is displayed
as hollow with a yellow boundary so you can see that it conforms exactly with the 1-m2 grid cells on
our raster files and also so you can see the points are located in the exact center of each polygon and
cell. The smaller points seen are the LAS returns.
Setting both as polygon with a point file provides you with two useful tools: a point file to use for
extracting values and a polygon file with boundaries equal to any raster data set created from your
LAS data. You may find the polygon file useful to extract hydrology raster data using zonal statistics.
Spatial Analyst Tool > Extraction > Extract Multi Values to Points
Now that you have a point shapefile, you can use the Spatial Analyst Tool > Extraction > Extract
Multi Values to Points to extract all values into one file. This tool will extract the raster values into
the point shapefile and not create a new point shapefile.
Below is an example of using the Extract tool to extract the values of several of the previously
created raster datasets. In the Output field name, you can manually type in the name you wish. Once
the tool runs, all these values will be in the attribute table of the point shapefile. You don’t just have
to include the files created within this tutorial; you could also include any other raster dataset such as
a digital elevation model, slope, aspect, or hydrology file.
Data Management Tools > LAS Dataset > LAS Dataset Statistics
The last tool is Data Management Tools > LAS Dataset > LAS Dataset Statistics.
We will not run this tool; you should remember that it offers another way to update statistics within an
LAS Dataset or create a text file summarizing your LAS Dataset statistics.
Our next tutorial covers Classifying Points in a Lidar Point Cloud.
Tutorial 11: Classifying Unassigned Points in a Point Cloud
Lidar Point Classification Schemes
What is a classified lidar point? Why do I want my lidar point cloud classified? Just like any other
remotely sensed image, the image is useful only if we can identify what portions of that image belong
to specific features on the surface of the Earth. A classified lidar point cloud identifies the different
features and, thus, allows other types of analyses.
As we have seen from the Albuquerque and Hopkinsville, Kentucky datasets, some of the points were
already classified, but a good portion of the points were still identified as unassigned. Within this
tutorial, we will discuss methods within ArcMap that can be used to classify lidar points. The
number of methods depends on which version of ArcGIS you have: Version 10.2 includes three
methods of classification and Version 10.3.1 has five methods. We will show differences between the
two versions as we proceed within this tutorial. In all likelihood, one classification method will be
insufficient to classify all your points and you will need to use multiple methods.
Classifying lidar points is one area where standard class codes are used. We refer you to both
ASPRS LAS Specifications 1.3 and LAS 1.4 Standards:
· http://www.asprs.org/a/society/committees/standards/LAS_1_3_r11.pdf
· http://www.asprs.org/a/society/committees/standards/LAS_1_4_r13.pdf
We refer you to both standards because ArcMap 10.2 uses the classification scheme under LAS
Specification 1.3 and ArcMap 10.3.1 uses LAS Specification 1.4.
Recall from the first tutorial What is Lidar and How do I get Data? that the USGS requires LAS
Specification 1.4. What is the difference? Among other things, LAS Specification 1.3 has a more
limited classification scheme:
Note – the previous two tables are from LAS Specification Version 1.4 – R12 15 July 2013. Within
both tables many values are Reserved for ASPRS Definition. This means that as the ASPRS
expands the classification schemes, these values will be defined so they are uniform across all
industries. If you wish to define your own scheme, LAS Specification Version 1.4 – R12 15 July 2013
allows for User Defined classifications using values 64 – 255.
There are a few items to note before proceeding. Remember, the LAS dataset created for use in
ArcMap is actually a link to the original datasets downloaded from EarthExplorer. Up to this point,
we have only created new raster files and have not altered the original files. Here, that changes; any
modifications you make to class codes are permanent. They change the data in the original LAS files.
Reviewing your Dataset’s Existing Classifications
We will be using the Hopkinsville, Kentucky LAS dataset for this tutorial, and we will start with a
brief review of the classifications already within this dataset.
Open ArcMap and add the Hopkinsville, Kentucky dataset. Go to Properties and the Filter tab. If
you have ArcMap 10.2, we note five Classifications (Unassigned, Ground, Noise, Water, and
Reserved) were already completed for this dataset. If you have ArcMap 10.3.1, you will see the
Classification Codes on the right; class 10 Rail is the difference.
From ASPRS Tables on the prior page, we have codes to which we can assign the unassigned points
– Low Vegetation, Medium Vegetation, High Vegetation, and Buildings, and with LAS 1.4
additional codes include Road Surface, Wire, etc.
Now go to the Source tab under Properties. As you can see from this tab, almost 50% of our points
are actually unassigned. However, that does not mean that the points that have been assigned were
assigned to the correct categories. (ArcMap 10.2 – left, ArcMap 10.3.1 – right)
Classifying points within a lidar cloud is one of the most important processing that you will
accomplish for a lidar point cloud. This classification includes classifying unassigned points and
correctly classifying mis-assigned points.
Now recall from prior tutorials, with Filters, we can display just those points that are not classified.
When classifying unassigned points, this filter will be extremely useful. You will find yourself
toggling back and forth between assigned and unassigned in order to correctly classify all the points.
As noted above, there are multiple ways within ArcMap to classify points. Again, remember all
changes are permanent, so you may want to make a copy of your original dataset to use when working
with point classification.
3D Analyst > Data Management > LAS Dataset > Change LAS Class Codes
Open ArcToolbox and go to 3D Analyst > Data Management > LAS Dataset > Change LAS Class
Codes. This method changes all points within one class to another. Depending on which version of
ArcMap you have, you could see either of the following when navigating to this tool (ArcMap 10.2 –
left, ArcMap 10.3.1 – right):
This tool would be useful if, for example, you discovered that all points assigned to Water (9),
actually belong to Building (6). We are not going to run this tool; we are just providing steps on how
to do so. You may practice using this tool on your own.
Assume you discovered that all points classified as Water (code 9) actually belong to Buildings (code
6). Within the tool’s dialog box, put your LAS dataset as the Input LAS Dataset, and then go to Class
Codes area.
Enter the number 9 in the Class Codes area. Hit the + button, and it populates under Current Class.
Then click in the New Class area and type the number 6. Once you are satisfied with the corrections,
you would then click on Ok at the bottom of the dialog box.
If you have multiple classes that are incorrect, you can enter them all at one time with this tool.
CAUTION AGAIN – this tool changes all points assigned to the Current Class to the New Class.
This tool might be appropriate to use only if you knew that all the points assigned to the unassigned
code actually belong to one specific class.
3D Analyst > Data Management > LAS Dataset > Set LAS Class Codes using Features
The second method is to set class codes using a feature class dataset. If you recall from our
Hopkinsville, Kentucky LAS dataset, we do have some points that are clearly building tops, but we
do not have a building code classification showing under Properties/Filters.
Open ArcToolbox and go to 3D Analyst > Data Management > LAS Dataset > Set LAS Class
Codes Using Features. Again, your toolbox may look different depending on your version of ArcGIS
(10.2 – left, 10.3.1 – right):
In the screenshot below, we have used the Hopkinsville, Kentucky LAS dataset as the Input LAS
Dataset. We need a building shapefile, so create a building polygon shapefile using NAIP aerial
photos (instructions for accessing the USDA NAIP server:
http://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/2013_apfo_webservice_10x.pdf).
For now, you don’t need to create buildings for every building in the Hopkinsville area, just a
selection so you can see how this tool works. Once created, add the buildings shapefile as the Input
Feature Class and click the + button to populate it under Features. Click in the New Class column
and you get a dropdown list from which to select the class code. Remember, you must use the class
codes consistent with ASPRS Standards (buildings are 6). Then click OK.
We will not be using Synthetic, KeyPoint, and Withheld for this example. We will discuss these
fields in a little more detail at the end of this tutorial.
Once the tool has finished running, look in the Table of Contents. Has it changed? No. We need to
make sure the Statistics and Symbology are updated. If you see the following message on either your
Properties/Source tab or Properties/Symbology, you need to update your Statistics.
Do you remember how? The following screenshot provides a hint.
Once you have updated the Statistics, it should show up under Properties/Source.
It will show up in your Table of Contents only if you are using symbology for Class Codes. Change
these and it should display as follows:
Be careful when using this tool to set class codes with Feature Classes. Any portions of tree
canopies that are higher than that feature will also be assigned to that class code, incorrectly, when
they should be assigned as High Vegetation. Again, you can use this tool for using multiple features to
assign classes. Do you see where it happened here?
The next two tools are only available with ArcMap 10.3.1 and above. If your version is ArcMap
10.2.0 – 10.3.0.1, skip to the section Interactive Class Coding.
3D Analyst > Data Management > LAS Dataset > Locate LAS Point Points by Proximity
Open ArcToolbox and go to 3D Analyst > Data Management > LAS Dataset > Locate LAS Point
Points by Proximity. This tool is used for very specific purposes.
We are only briefly discussing this tool, as its main purpose is for identifying points that lie within a
specified Z-distance from the input features. This tool also allows for classification of the lidar
points that will be identified when running this tool. (You must have a 3D feature file to use this tool).
For instance, to plan vegetation trimming around power lines, you could use this tool for
identification of high vegetation that is in close proximity to the power lines. You might consider
assigning these points a classification code designated by you. Run the tool once, all areas are
identified, and then implement a specific schedule for which to conduct the trimming, location by
location.
3D Analyst > Data Management > LAS Dataset >- Classify LAS by Height
This is the third tool within ArcToolbox, one that allows you to reclassify points based on a specific
characteristic. For this tool, that characteristic is height. You can set the height specification with one
of two types of Ground Sources – from Ground or by Model Key code (note - Model Key code is
dependent on the specifications that come with your specific LAS dataset).
This tool automatically defaults to the Class Codes and Height from Ground (blue box above). Note
that your specific area of interest may not conform to the default heights. You cannot change the
default Class Codes, but you can change the default Height from Ground; you just need to click on the
appropriate line you want to change. For example, if we want to change Class Code 3 Height from
Ground to a value of other than 5, click on the line with the 5 and manually type in the number you
want. You can add additional Class Codes. Under Class Code (green box), type in the number you
want to add. For example, if you have unassigned codes (1) and you know that all of your buildings
roofs are 150 meters or higher, you can put in the number 6 - Buildings, then hit the + and it will add 6
under the Class Code (blue box), then you add 150 for the Height From Ground. Once you hit OK, it
will then reclassify all unassigned codes to 6 – Buildings where the point is 150 meters or more
above ground. This tool actually would be useful if you have noise within your dataset, such as a
flock of birds that were flying within the area at the time your lidar was flown and were therefore
recorded as very high points!
The next screenshot demonstrates what happens when you use defaults without considering the
results. We let the tool run as above on our Hopkinsville, Kentucky LAS dataset. In the screenshot, we
have changed the symbology to enhance the results – low vegetation is shown as fuchsia, medium
vegetation is represented as large cyan circles, and high vegetation is blue (none showing in this
screenshot). So you must be careful when making these changes.
Now look at the Statistics. They have substantially changed, including now the other classifications.
Interactive Class Coding
As you recall from the tutorial Exploring the LAS Dataset Toolbar in ArcMap, we introduced you
to the Toolbar within the Profile View window, and within this window was the Edit > Change
Class Code option. Again, remember all changes are permanent.
The Change Class Code Option Dialog box also looks slightly different in the two versions of
ArcGIS (10.2 – left, 10.3.1 – right). All the same choices are present, but they are represented
differently, radio circle vs. dropdown list. And, of course, the most significant difference is the
number of classification codes available in the dropdown list for the codes.
To use this option, you use your Selection tools to select one point or many points to change the class
code. If all the points you select have the same class code, it will display within the Change Class
Code dialog box.
Earlier, we said that you may need to toggle off and on with All Returns, unassigned returns, and
symbology by class code to assist in determining which unassigned point belongs with which class
code. You may wish also to add a point for a reference around which to do your profile selections.
As a refresher, all points displayed in the Map Document window:
All points in Profile View.

Unassigned points in Profile View, remember color is just symbology! This is the exact same profile
as above, just different points displayed.
Points symbolized by Class Code in Profile View:
If you zoom in to the ground, you can see that there are actually many points within those already
assigned as ground that are unassigned.
If we change our display to unassigned only, we see those ground points that are unassigned.
You can use the Selection tool to select those points, and change their code to 2 Ground.
If you are happy with this, then you click Apply and the class code is changed. Remember this is a
permanent change. You continue to do this for the ground until all codes are appropriately assigned.
To catch a greater depth, remember you can change the Point budget under Profile Tool Options.
While performing interactive editing, if you only have the unassigned points displayed, you will get
this message.
This is okay. You don’t need to have all points displayed during interactive editing. In the next
screenshot, we have zoomed to the canopy of the tree.
We have used Selection to select them and then change them to 5 High Vegetation, but be careful, it
appears these may also contain some points actually belonging to a building’s roof!
As you assign the points to a class code, they will disappear from the Profile View window if you
only have unassigned points displayed. See what happens as we assign the tree, low vegetation, and
ground in the following few screenshots.
Tree leaves are highlighted and assigned to High Vegetation.
As soon as you click on the Apply button, those will disappear. The following screenshot shows all
points in the canopy and some for lower vegetation and ground have now been assigned to the
appropriate code and no longer appear in the Profile View window.
This is very useful because those that are assigned cannot now be misassigned as your proceed.
Before you continue, let’s look at your progress. Look at the Table of Contents; it still shows the
prior class codes, and it has not updated.
Open Layer Properties and look at the Filter tab. More class codes are now showing. But, again,
note the message about Statistics. When you created the file, did you remember to check the Force
recalculate box in the Statistics tab? Not to worry. Let’s update them now.
Open ArcCatalog from ArcMap.

Go to the Hopkinsville LAS dataset, right click, go to Properties and the Statistics tab.
Click on the Update button. The new Classification Codes are now showing. Click OK to close.
Then go to the Layer Properties on your file in the Table of Contents. The Classification Codes
have been updated here also and the message about Statistics is gone. Remember, if you are using
ArcGIS 10.3.1, you will have more Classification Codes than are showing in the screenshot below.
Click on the General tab. The update shows here also, but the Table of Contents is unchanged.
You might need to update the symbology. Go to the Symbology tab, turn off and then back on the LAS
point class. If this does not work, highlight and remove the point class symbology and then add it
back in, or click on Add All Values.
The Table of Contents is now updated. (Do you have All Classes chosen in Filters?)
Go to the Profile View window and look at the scene. You continue with interactive editing until all
codes are assigned.
This process is very time intensive, but you get better and quicker the more you use interactive
editing. Usually when editing your Classification Codes, you use interactive editing as the final step.
Flags
One final item that we need to cover within this tutorial is Flags. In the tutorial LAS Dataset
Properties in ArcMap, we skipped over that area of the Filters tab in Properties.
You actually find these same items in your Edit > Change Class Code dialog box when doing
interactive editing.
In most cases when doing your class code editing, you will just leave these in the Default setting –
Skip. Why?
These are codes covered under the ASPRS LAS Specifications Standards and discussed under Pages
10 and 11 of the standards - available at:
http://www.asprs.org/a/society/committees/standards/LAS_1_4_r13.pdf.
Whether or not you change these settings relates specifically to your data. Again, it is very important
to review all your metadata and understand the LAS Standards as they relate to your lidar dataset and
any processing that you complete on that data.
Although we have completed this tutorial, you have likely not completed classifying all of your lidar
points. All of your lidar points should be classified before performing any analysis, including
creating DEMs, DSM, and Lidar Intensity Images.
Tutorial 12: Creating a Digital Elevation Model using a Lidar Dataset
A digital elevation model (DEM), most often a raster dataset, is a continuous model of elevation
across a terrain. DEM pixels (cells) can vary in resolution, normally 1, 10, or 30 m.
When creating a DEM from a lidar dataset, you are using the part of the point cloud that is classified
as ground points. Many people equate the ground with the bare earth. However, lidar ground points
actually represent the last surface return to the lidar sensor (in instances of open terrain, these might
also be the first return or a single return). The surface is not necessarily the ground; it includes
parking lots and roads. Creating a DEM for bare earth can be accomplished using lidar data, but is
beyond the scope of this tutorial.
A digital surface model (DSM) is a continuous model of lidar first returns. These may include tops of
trees and buildings.
Within ArcGIS, use your Filters to identify which returns to use. In this tutorial, we will do both
DEM and DSM.
Creating a digital elevation model
Within ArcMap, several different methods exist to create a DEM from lidar data: LAS dataset,
Mosaic, or Terrain dataset. We will walk you through the LAS Dataset to Raster tool.
Using Conversion Tools > To Raster > LAS Dataset to Raster
Open ArcMap and add your Hopkinsville, Kentucky LAS Dataset. Do not worry about zooming into a
particular area. Next, go to Filters (either in Properties or on the LAS Dataset Toolbar). Select
Ground returns only.
Open ArcTool Box, go to Using Conversion Tools > To Raster > LAS Dataset to Raster
The tool opens. Remember, if help is not displayed, click on the Tool Help button at the bottom.
We are not going to discuss every option that you have to complete this tool. Help provides you with
information on each option; you just need to make the decision as to which option is your best
selection for your dataset and your project. We will, however, provide some examples as to specific
differences for a couple situations.
For our first example, we are just going to use all the default settings within the tool. Make sure your
Value Field is set to Elevation. Default Sampling Value is 10 —our dataset is in meters, so this
represents a CELLSIZE of 10 m.
Now we will change sampling value to 1 from 10, i.e. 1 meter cell size.
With the Binning/Void Fill Method as Linear, any voids in the dataset are interpolated going across
the voids with a triangulation to fill these values. You can see the triangular shapes over the
waterbodies. Our voids are over the waterbody, so is a linear method appropriate over a waterbody?
Keeping with a 1-m cell size, change the default settings under Binning > Void Fill Method to
Natural Neighbor (for description, see the Help window).
Why did we do this? Because remember for calm, clear, and/or deep water bodies, there are no
returns (in the LAS dataset in the Map Document window, these showed as actual missing points).
By using Natural Neighbor to fill the void, we have a smoother, more uniform, appearance for the
waterbody. We do not know the actual depth of the water body, but if we did and it was in a shapefile,
we could add that as a constraint.
For the following, we have changed Interpolation Type from Binning to Triangulation, cell size 1
m; leave all the other default settings.
For our last example, we continue with Triangulation but change Linear to Nearest Neighbor, again
at 1-m cell size. (Read your Help for the definitions for these parameters.)
Again, we see more smoothing over the waterbodies. Do you see any other differences?
Looking at the Table of Contents, the ranges are only slightly different between Triangulation and
Binning Interpolation Methods, which may be due to the number of decimal points.
Compare them in your map document window. If you need to, open the Image Analysis window and
use the Swipe button to help view the differences.
Except with the waterbodies, very little difference exists between the 1-m DEMs.
Now, turn off all these new DEMs (or remove them, your choice). We are going to create a DSM. The
methods that you use for your individual dataset will vary. Each dataset is different and the results
will also be different than what you see with this specific data.
Creating a Digital Surface Model (DSM)
To create a digital surface model, we follow the same steps as outlined above for a DEM, but just use
different returns. This time, set your Filters to First Return.
Open ArcTool Box, go to Using Conversion Tools > To Raster > LAS Dataset to Raster
For this example, only change the cell size to 1 m and the Fill Method to Natural Neighbor. Leave
all other parameters as default. We will not do samples of each one as we did before; you can do that
on your own.
Do you see the differences in the DSM versus the DEM? Using the Swipe tool in the Image Analysis
Window, you can especially see the difference in the southeastern part of the dataset. The buildings’
roofs and tops of trees are very apparent in the DSM, whereas they were not present in the DEM.
Now that you have created a DEM and DSM in raster format, you can create other datasets.
Using Spatial Analyst > Surface Tools
We are going to create several surface files. We saw these types of surfaces symbolized in two prior
tutorials: LAS Dataset Properties in ArcMap and Exploring the LAS Dataset Toolbar. But those
were just symbolizations, not suitable for analytical applications. Now that we have a DEM in raster
format, you have data suitable for analytical inquiry.
We will work with the 1-m DEM created with the Binning/Nearest Neighbor Interpolation settings,
and create Contours shapefile and Aspect, Slope, and Hillshade raster files.
Aspect:
Hillshade:
Slope, with the percent setting and classified with 5 categories:
Contours with contour interval at 5 m:

We will not go into any more details, as we assume that you already know how to use these tools with
any other DEM raster file. The use is the same as you now have a DEM raster file created from your
lidar dataset.
Notice, however, that surfaces such as roads, parking lots, and other built surfaces are showing in
each one of the new datasets. Some argue that a bare-earth model as a digital elevation model must be
used to generate any additional raster files, especially the Hydrology Tools because only a bare earth
model will accurately represent the Earth’s surface. However, others disagree because human
modifications must be included to accurately reflect conditions on the Earth’s surface at the time of
the lidar acquisition.
This is the conclusion of this tutorial. You have created a raster dataset that can be used like any other
raster dataset in ArcGIS.
Tutorial 13: Visualizing Lidar Data in ArcScene
ArcScene is an ESRI ArcGIS application providing 3D visualization capability, making it useful for
Lidar data. ArcScene will assist you in becoming familiar with your lidar data, in creating vectors
files from lidar data, visualizing 3D data, and measuring distances in 3D. Although we will be
discussing some features of ArcScene in this tutorial, this unit does not present a tutorial on ArcScene
but a tutorial on viewing lidar data within ArcScene.
Some features from ArcMap, are also used within ArcScene, such as 3D Analyst Toolbar (discussed
under the tutorial Exploring the 3D Analyst Toolbar in ArcMap) and LAS Dataset Toolbar
(discussed in the tutorial Exploring the LAS Dataset Toolbar in ArcMap). In this tutorial, we will
cover the features of ArcScene that relate directly to lidar data.
Some ArcScene Basics
Open ArcScene.
Add the Hopkinsville, Kentucky LAS dataset, the water shapefile that we created in the tutorial
Adding Surface Constraints to an LAS Dataset, and the DEM created in the tutorial Creating a
Digital Elevation Model using a Lidar Dataset. Only turn on the LAS dataset.
You will notice that as the LAS dataset is adding, ArcScene adds one lidar dataset at a time. Even
though we are at Full Extent, the entire dataset is visualized, unlike what happens in ArcMap.
You will also notice that the Hopkinsville LAS dataset has populated several dialog boxes in the
toolbar areas.
If you do not see the same toolbars as displayed above, right click anywhere in the toolbar area and
make sure the toolbars are checked, as seen below. Again, we are not going to discuss ArcScene in its
totality, just those features that will help display and analyze your lidar data.
The toolbar in the red box above is the LAS Dataset Toolbar and functions just like the LAS Dataset
Toolbar in ArcMap with the same symbolization features.
The 3D Analyst Toolbar (red box below) is also used just as we demonstrated in the tutorial
Exploring the 3D Analyst Toolbar in ArcMap.
The final toolbar, 3D Effects (in the green box above) is a tool for editing vector files within
ArcScene, so we will not be discussing those here. You can consult ArcGIS Help if needed.
Orientation in ArcScene
You may have noticed that the layers display differently in the Map Document window. They will
look like the display below.
In ArcMap, the top of the Map Document window is north. In ArcScene, that is not true because we
are viewing 3D, but you can set a compass to display in the Map Document window to help with
orientation. You can also change the view in the Map Document window to 2-dimensiona.
Go to the toolbar, View > View Settings.
The View Settings dialong box opens. We are going to leave this window open as we work through
this tutorial. At the bottom of this dialog box is an option for Directional Arrow. Check this box.
A compass or Directional arrow is now displayed. You may have to move the View Settings dialog
box to see it. This compass shows three directions, north (thick green line), east (red line) and
vertical (blue line).
In the image below, we have zoomed in on the road in the dark-blue box above. If you zoom in with
the View Settings dialog box open, you can see that the readings change, as does the directional
arrow.
You can zoom in with the tools on the tool bar, or use the Target settings in the View Settings dialog
box if you have the coordinates of a targeted area of interest. If you change these settings, don’t forget
to hit the Apply button. We discuss more about targeting below.
Now check Orthographic (2D view). The dataset looks like it does when displayed in ArcMap, and
the directional arrow is gone because north is now at the top of the Map Document window. Click
on Perspective again; we will be using that display from hereon.
Navigating in ArcScene
Go to the top of the toolbars and look for the following buttons:
These are your Navigation buttons. Some are new, and we did not have them in the Standard Toolbar
in ArcMap. We will discuss each one and provide some tips for their use, since some can be difficult
to use.
Navigate – with this button, you can move about in the Map Document display and display the data
in various views. Remember, we are working in 3D here. Click on Navigate.
You can then click anywhere in the Map Document window and change the display. You must hold
the left mouse button down as you move your data around.
If you move the cursor up, you can view the edge of the dataset.
If you use your mouse wheel forward, you zoom out, if you move your mouse wheel backward, you
zoom in. Notice, as you zoom in and out, you see the detail in 3D, unlike in ArcMap.
You can flip the display around, left and right. Notice how your compass reflects the change in
direction.
You can also flip it far enough up to see the bottom. The bottom should display with less relief
dimensionally because it is showing the very last return. Looking at the bottom might be helpful to
look for very low points, which might not be apparent when viewing from above.
Very low points might be essential – they could display changes in the terrain, such as small sink
holes. Navigating is a difficult operation, so you may need to play around with it. If you lose your
image in the Map Document window, just remember click on Full Extent to restore your view.
Flying Around in ArcScene
The more difficult navigation tool to use is Fly. Be sure to read the information box that opens when
you hover your mouse over the tool. Holding Shift maintains a constant elevation when flying. Notice
that the Fly icon looks like bird wings.
When you first click on the Fly button, you actually get a standing bird icon; because you are not
moving, the speed is zero. How do you know your speed? Look in the bottom of the Table of
Contents. The screenshot below shows Fly Speed =3, but that is because it is difficult to capture the
screen when it shows 0. Before you start Flying, read the next paragraph!
Left click button on your mouse increases flyover speed, right click decreases the speed. (Again,
when speed is zero, instead of birdwings, you see a standing bird icon.) To stop flying, you must
decrease your speed to 0. Hitting ESC takes it immediately to 0. Only then can you use any other
tools. If you retain any speed, you keep flying. You will likely lose your image several times while
experimenting — proficiency requires practice. Also be patient when working with these buttons
because it takes some time for ArcScene to catch up with you. If you have lost your image, go back to
Fly Speed = 0. When flyover speed is zero, you can click on the Full Extent button, and the dataset
repopulates in the Map Document window.
The next several screenshots demonstrate what you will see once you get control of flying. First, I
have navigated and zoomed the display to focus on a triangular area formed by the roadway. We will
discuss the blue oval in a moment.
We are not really seeing all roadways. This is where ArcScene is much more beneficial for seeing the
detail of your area. You can use the Fly button to fly over your scene and more easily pick out some
features.
This is also where it is helpful to have your directional arrow showing and the View Settings dialog
box open.
If you fly off the window and have an empty display, as above, stop moving your mouse and click on
the right mouse button to decrease your speed to 0 (or press ESC) slowly so ArcScene can catch up.
How do you know when ArcScene has caught up? The compass and your Roll angle and pitch will
stabilize. Just remove your hand from your mouse and wait. Once they stabilize, click the Full extent
button.
If you have waited more than a minute, you may have to close ArcScene and start all over again, but
once you get the hang of this, you will be in control.
Notice from the screenshot below what appears to be a roadway (blue oval in the prior screenshot).
In the screenshot, it is not a flat area, but an elevated area, with dips and rises, and is not solid.
The following screenshot shows a closer view, zoomed in close enough now to see that the feature
that initially appears to be a roadway is actually power transmission line.
Let’s look at a few more flyover screenshots. Don’t worry; it may take you a few times to get this
straight. Be patient, wait for ArcScene. Again, having the View Settings window open helps you keep
steady. In the below screenshot, you can see the roadway in the middle, the waterbody in the upper
left, the crop fields in the foreground, and the power lines on right.
We have decreased in elevation on the flyover, as displayed in the next two screenshots. It feels as if
we are actually driving down the road and seeing the scene on either side.
What is your compass showing? We are facing due north, vertical is straight up, and east is to the
right. Looking in the View Settings window, those numbers have also changed. We are closer to the
ground and our Roll angle and pitch is stabilized.
Using ArcScene allows you to see your data in more detail and pick out features that you may not
have seen before. We found power lines. What do you see in the blue circle above? Zoom in a little.
We see the roof of a building on the right. But the feature in the blue circle is a combine operating in
the middle of a field. You can even see some of the grain as it is being transferred from the combine
to an adjacent truck.
Fly is the most difficult of the navigation buttons to use. We will now briefly review the others.
Targeting a Specific Area for Viewing
Center on Target allows you to pick a point and place that point within the center of the Map
Document window. It is easy to use; just click on the Center on Target button, then click on your
dataset in the Map Document window and where you clicked will become the center point. It just
moves the data in the window.
You can be zoomed in before clicking on the Center to Target button. It won’t zoom out; it will just
move the targeted area to the center. In the next screenshot, we are zoomed in and centered on the
combine.
Now click on Center to Target button and click on the windmill (can you find it?). The scene shifted
just ever so slightly to the right (windmill inside circle).
Zoom to Target – actually zooms into the targeted area, but first you must hit ctrl (on your keyboard)
and the right mouse button at same time. You then get the following dialog box, click on Set Target
and Zoom, then click on the combine.
It zooms really far in, and you can barely see any points:
Set Observer – clicking on this button and then clicking in the Map Document window, zooms to the
specific point and provides you with a ground view at that point.
Creating an Area of Interest (AOI)
The final button – AOI (Area of Interest), is found on the main toolbar.
You use this button if you want to view only a portion of your dataset at a time. This is for display
only, and it does not change the dataset itself.
Click on the AOI button. As you can see, several objects are now displayed within the Map
Document window. Stacked gray cubes are at the corners, and green arrows are on the sides. You
can move each of these in and out to set the boundaries of your Area of Interest (AOI).
Click on whichever of the objects you wish to move, and it turns yellow. Once it is yellow, you grab it
with your mouse and move it wherever you want. The cubes mark corners, and the green arrows mark
edges.
You have not actually moved the corners and edges of the dataset. You are establishing the
boundaries.
Once you have the corners and edges marking your AOI, hit the enter button on your computer.
It looks like the dataset has been clipped, but it has just limited the display. Pressing ESC on your
keyboard returns it to the full extent.
You can also see the AOI from the side.
The Properties Tab in ArcScene
First turn on all the layers. Your Map Document window will look like this from the side:
Now, let’s explore the Properties tab. Right click on the Hopkinsville, Kentucky LAS dataset layer
name in the Table of Contents, and go to Properties to open the Properties dialog box.
You have many of the same tabs that you did in ArcMap. You have the same Symbology, Surface
Constraints, Filter, and Display options, as we discussed in the tutorial LAS Dataset Properties in
ArcMap. We will not review them again here.
There are, however, two new tabs – Base Heights and Rendering. Click on Base Heights.
We will start at the bottom of the dialog box - Layer offset. Offset governs the distance between the
layers in the Map Document window.
We changed the offset value to 50, and the layers moved slightly farther apart.
We next changed to -1000, and the LAS dataset is now underneath the other layers.
Which is better? That depends on what you are doing. When editing a vector file, it might be better to
have it on top or underneath, depending on what you are visualizing. Because we opened the
Properties for the LAS Dataset, we are moving the LAS Dataset.
Close the Properties dialog box. Now, open the DEM Properties dialog box; it also has a Base
Heights tab. Change Layer offset to 1000, and it also moves.
This works for all layers. Change both Layer offsets back to 0. Also turn off the LAS dataset and
water vector file.
We are going to work with the DEM Properties tab one more time. The DEM is displayed as flat, but
we can change this within ArcScene. Under Base Heights, check Floating on a custom surface.
The DEM populates, but if it does not, select it from the down arrow list.
The DEM is now displayed as 3D.

We
can even flip it over and see the lowest elevations are the bottom of the water body.
Now turn on the water layer. The DEM is floating above the water.
Open Properties for the water file, go to Base Heights and click on Floating on a custom surface.
Click OK or Apply.
The
water is now floating in the appropriate areas on the DEM. Again, this is for visualization purposes
only. All of these changes can help when editing vector files, or when trying to identify and assign
unclassified lidar points in ArcMap. The settings that you will use within the Base Heights tab will
depend on what you want to see and the purpose for which you are utilizing your data.
Now turn off your DEM and water files and turn on the LAS dataset. Go to Properties and
Rendering. We will not discuss each one of these settings. But recall from the tutorial LAS Dataset
Properties in ArcMap, rendering controls how much of your dataset is displayed.
Tutorial 14: Adding and Using Surface Constraints
In the tutorial Preparing LAS Datasets for Use in ArcGIS, we skipped over the Surface
Constraints tab. We are now going to discuss this tab.
What are surface constraints relative to lidar data in ArcGIS? These are vector files representing
features on the surface of the Earth. They can be point, line, or polygon files (shapefiles or feature
classes) and represent buildings, trees, water bodies, ridgelines, roads, etc. Surface constraints can
be added to an LAS dataset when it is created for use in ArcGIS or can be added later. Surface
constraints are used to place limitations on your lidar point cloud when processing the point cloud for
various purposes; we will discuss a couple of examples within this tutorial. In addition, the type of
limitation that is placed can be varied. We will also discuss that in more detail within this tutorial.
We will be using the Hopkinsville, Kentucky data EarthExplorer for this tutorial. You have the option
of creating a new dataset to use for this specific tutorial or adding surface constraints to an existing
file. Here we will be using the Hopkinsville, Kentucky LAS dataset without surface constraints for
other tutorials.
Exploring the Surface Constraints Tab in the LAS dataset Properties Dialog Box
Open ArcCatalog, find your Hopkinsville, Kentucky LAS dataset in the Table of Contents, right
click, go to Properties and the Surface Constraints tab. We can add multiple constraining files, and
they don’t need to be in the same location on your computer because we can ask it to show the full
path name by clicking on this box.
First thing that we note are the two buttons toward the bottom of the dialog box: Add... and Remove.
You can add and remove the surface constraint at any time: on initial creation of the LAS dataset,
when adding new LAS files, when updating your statistics, or just to work with surface constraints.
ArcCatalog can be viewed as a one-stop shopping – you can do it all here.
You can also add and remove surface constraints using Data Management Tools > LAS Dataset
tools. But your choice of tool depends on what you want to do. You can use Create LAS Dataset,
Add Files to LAS Dataset, or Remove Files from LAS Dataset.
Your selection depends on where you are in the processing. If you are in the initial creation phase,
you can add those constraints using the Create LAS Dataset tool.
If you already have an existing dataset and want to add constraints, you can use the Add Files to LAS
Dataset. You use this tool as we did in the tutorial Adding Files to an Existing LAS Dataset to add
new LAS files, but note that this is an optional input for this tool. This tool also allows adding
multiple constraining files.
We can also use this tool to add Surface Constraints (and add multiple constraining files). No, we
have not added any yet. We need to discuss a little more before we start adding surface constraints.
If you have an LAS dataset that already has surface constraints and want them removed, you can
remove them in ArcCatalog as discussed above, or use the Remove Files from LAS Dataset tool in
ArcMap. This tool is used to remove either LAS Files or Surface Constraints.
For the next couple of sections, we are going to use ArcCatalog to further discuss surface constraints
and add some to the Hopkinsville, Kentucky file.
Create a New LAS Dataset in ArcCatalog and call it Hopkinsville Surface Constraints. If you
prefer, go ahead and use the Hopkinsville, Kentucky LAS dataset file that you already created, but you
will need to remember to turn off surface constraints at the end of this tutorial so that is it
unconstrained when we use it in other tutorials.
Go to the Surface Constraints tab, click on the Add button, and the following dialog box opens.
This tool allows you to navigate to the file where it is stored on your computer. You click Add and
navigate to each one (one at a time if you want to add multiple files). Even if you have the files all in
the same place (either file folder or geodatabase), you can only add them one at a time because you
have to complete two dropdown boxes (Height source and Surface feature type) for each file. You
don’t yet have any vector files for Hopkinsville, Kentucky, so how can we proceed? Well, we are not
ready yet. Before we can proceed, we need to understand this area because different types will affect
how the LAS dataset is processed.
For discussion purposes, I am using the Census Block Groups shapefile downloaded from the
TIGERLine® website. You don’t need to get it because we are not going to use it to establish surface
constraints; I just wanted a shapefile that would populate the dropdown boxes for the next two
screenshots.
Height source populates from the Attribute table of your vector file. You have the option of <None>,
which is the most frequent option used.
Surface feature type options populate from the Attribute Table based on the type of file you have
added: point, line, or polygon. For polygons, all types will populate. These specific types can control
what happens with specific points of the lidar point cloud related to that feature (or, in the case of
polygons, that fall within the polygon). Therefore, you need to understand the meaning of each one of
these types. It is beyond the scope of the tutorial to provide examples of these at length, so you can
consult Help for further details.
Notice that most of the options start with the words Hard or Soft. Visually, both options create the
same image. But the word Hard designates some type of interruption in the surface. Examples of
linear features could be a stream, a ridge line, or the edge of a structure like a building. For a
polygon, examples could include building footprints or edges of a waterbody. Whether or not you use
should hard or soft as a constraint is dependent upon the project for which you are processing the
data.
Anchor Points are elevation points that are never thinned out. This option is only available for
single-point files.
Hard Line or Soft Line would be used in instances of breaklines.
Clip and Erase function just like in other ArcTools. Clip will limit the file to the boundaries of the
polygon. Erase will eliminate those points within the polygon.
Replace means that the height value of the points found within the polygon will be replaced with the
value field you have designated under the Height source dropdown box.
Creating vector files to use as surface constraint files
To explore surface constraints further, we need some vector shapefiles. We accessed the USDA’s
NAIP aerial images for Hopkinsville, Kentucky through the USDA GIS Server Connection (using
these instructions: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/2013_apfo_webservice_10x.pdf).
If you know how to connect to a GIS server, the NAIP Server URL is:
http://gis.apfo.usda.gov/argis/services
Within our area of interest, we have three water bodies (of considerable size) and a portion of
another on the southern edge. So, we created a new shapefile and outlined polygons for these four
water bodies. After creating a polygon shapefile, we then added two attributes to the shapefile: depth
of waterbody (10, 15, 20, and 35) and bottom elevation (149, 141, 142, and 127). So your files are
the same as the one we created, the following screenshots show you which waterbodies were
assigned which values:
Additionally, as another example, we created a new polygon shapefile as a box over part of the area,
but also not totally within one of the boundaries of an original LAS file.
Then, as an example of a line file, we used the 5-m contour line shapefile created in the tutorial
Creating a Digital Elevation Model using a Lidar Dataset. Instead of using all the contour lines,
we selected the three lines identified in the screenshot below (they are located in the northeastern
quadrant), and exported those into a line shapefile titled Select_Contours.
We now have three vector shapefiles that we can use to test out Surface Constraints.
Adding Surface Constraints using ArcCatalog
So now, let’s add these files to our HopkinsvilleSurfaceConstraints file using the Surface
Constraints tab in ArcCatalog. Let’s start with Select_Contours. Remember, right click on the
dataset name in the Table of Contents, go to Properties, then Surface Constraints in the LAS
Datasets Properties dialog box. Click on Add at the bottom.
Navigate to the folder where you have the Select_Contours shapefile. Once you add it, the Height
source automatically populates to Contour (that is the attribute field containing the contour lines’
elevations). If you click on the down arrow, the only other option is <None>. Click on the down
arrows for Surface feature type, and you have only three choices because this is a line file: Anchor
Points, Hard Line, or Soft Line. Choose Hard Line, and then click OK.
Go ahead and add the other two vector files: RandomBox and Water. Use the Height source and
Surface type feature choices as shown below. Once all files are added and your Surface
Constraints tab look like the following screenshot, click OK.
Creating a DEM with Surface Constraints Applied
Open ArcMap and add the HopkinsvilleSurfaceConstraints file. Open Properties and look at the
Surface Constraints tab. All Surface Constraints are shown and all are checked. If you don’t want
to include them in any processing, all you need to do is uncheck the box next to the constraint.
For our first example, uncheck all but RandomBox, and your Surface Constraints tab will look like
this.
We are going to use this as a proxy for our study area. Yes, we downloaded more LAS files than we
needed from EarthExplorer, but, individually, they did not cover our area of interest, so now we are
going to eliminate those areas we don’t want.
Click OK.
Now create a DEM using Binning, Natural Neighbor with a 1-m Cellsize. Don’t forget that when
creating a DEM you need to limit the returns to Ground only. Result:
As a reminder, this is what the DEM looked like without the constraint, using the same parameters:
In the following screenshot, I added the RandomBox polygon, and made it hollow. Our DEM with a
hard clip constraint was created only with the LAS data within the constraint outline.
Now let’s work with the Water constraint. We know from the lidar point cloud that we have missing
values over most of the water bodies. When we created the Water polygon, we added two attributes:
depth and bottom elevation. When we added the Water constraint, we set the Height source to
bottom elevation and the Surface feature type to Hard Replace.
Turn off the RandomBox constraint and turn on the Water constraint. Your Properties should look
like the following.
Now create a DEM with the same parameters as we did with the RandomBox constraint.
Using this constraint, values for all the area within the water polygons were replaced with the
attribute value for bottom elevation. Notice how dark the water polygons are; they are dark because
their values are much lower than ground elevations in the unconstrained DEM. The highest elevation
for both DEMs is 196.58 m, but the lowest is different because we set the lower elevations for the
water bottoms. This constraint parameter is extremely useful for filling in missing data.
Another use for such a constraint is when you want to create a bare earth model. You can eliminate all
the lidar points within any polygons representing man-made structures. Then either use an
interpolation type to fill in the missing values or use the Hard Replace option for Surface feature
type. Here, we are not making recommendations, as you will need to consult the appropriate literature
to determine which method best works for your area.
Creating a TIN using a Breakline Surface Constraint
Let’s do one more example using the Select_Contours. Turn off the Water constraint and turn on
Select_Contours. Breaklines are appropriate to use when creating TINs. So instead of creating a
DEM, we are going to create a TIN, as we did in the tutorial Exploring the 3D Analyst Toolbar in
ArcMap. Use the same parameters as you did in that tutorial, except zoom to the northeastern
quadrant, which is where our contour line files are located.
Result:
I have enhanced the Hard Edge lines in the symbology so you can see them more easily in the Map
Document window. Notice that Edge type is showing in your Table of Contents.
Adding and Removing Surface Constraints within ArcMap
After processing, if you have decided that you actually set the wrong Surface feature type, you don’t
need to close ArcMap and go to ArcCatalog. Instead, you have tools available to complete these
functions in ArcMap. You cannot add the same vector file multiple times and set different Surface
feature types, unless each time you add the file, it is a file with a different name (i.e., Water, Water1,
Water2).
First, you need to remove the vector file from the Surface Constraint list. Open the Remove Files
from LAS Dataset tool to remove the surface constraint. Here, we are removing RandomBox.
Once the tool runs, you can open Properties and the constraint has been removed.
Now let’s add it back with the Surface feature type – Hard Erase. Open Add Files to LAS Dataset
tool and add it under Surface Constraints.
Once the tool has completed, open Properties. It has been added with the new Surface feature type,
but the constraint is not checked. Let’s create another DEM, using the same parameters as above with
this new RandomBox constraint. Don’t forget to uncheck the other two boxes and check
RandomBox. Note – we are only using one constraint at a time, but you can use multiple ones.
Because we used Erase, it removed the points within the RandomBox polygon.
If you try to add a Surface feature type to the wrong type of vector file (e.g., Hard or Soft Lines to a
polygon file), you will generate an error message. The following screenshots are examples, in
ArcMap. First, we removed the RandomBox constraint and then tried to re-add it with first Anchor
Points and then Hard Line. As you can see, each time the tool ran, we received a failure message.
Tool failure message:
Adding RandomBox constraint using Hard_Line:

Failure Message:
Checking further for actual error:

In this tutorial, we introduced you to Surface Constraints and their use when processing your lidar
point cloud. Ultimately, the decision of if you need to use any surface constraint, what constraint to
use, and the surface feature type is dependent on the individual data, your area of interest, and your
project.
Tutorial 15: Creating a Lidar Intensity Image
What is intensity? Intensity is the measurement of reflective strength of every return to the lidar
sensor. The intensity of a return assists in detecting features and in point classification. An Intensity
Image can mimic aerial imagery, thus forming a useful substitute image, if none is available or if the
available images are of poor quality. Standard intensity ranges have not been established, although
some vendors will standardize intensity values similar to an 8-bit image (0 – 255).
For this tutorial, we will be again using the Hopkinsville, Kentucky data.
Before we start, you first need to be sure that statistics have been calculated for each of the LAS
datasets and that the statistics contain intensity values. Do you remember how to do this? You can
check basic statistics on the file in ArcMap under Properties/General tab, but ArcCatalog provides
more detailed statistics. As a refresher:
Open ArcCatalog, right click on the Hopkinsville, Kentucky LAS dataset file name in Table of
Contents, and click on Properties. You can check statistics under two different tabs.
(1) Individually, on the LAS Files tab.
Remember, you click on the … button under the Statistics column to check statistics for an individual
file.
To check if intensity is included in the statistics for each individual dataset, click on the Next and
Previous buttons at the bottom of the dialog box. As you can see, the intensity ranges from 0 – 5100,
so these datasets have not been “standardized”.
(2) Or, you can also check intensity values for all datasets at one time, by clicking on the Statistics
tab in the LAS Dataset Properties dialog box. Again, for all of our files, the range is 0 – 5100. You
should know how to check these both ways. If you have a very large number of datasets, it may take
some time to check each individual dataset.
Again, as a refresher, if the statistics are not showing, or you are not sure they are up to date, you can
click the Force recalculate box.
Now close ArcCatalog, open ArcMap, and add the Hopkinsville, Kentucky file. To create an intensity
image, we will only be using the first returns, so set your Filter to first returns.
Open ArcToolbox, and navigate to Conversion Tools > To Raster > LAS Dataset to Raster. We have
used this tool before when we created our DEM in the tutorial Creating a Digital Elevation Model
using a Lidar Dataset.
We will be using different settings in this tool to create the intensity image.
Your input image is your Hopkinsville, Kentucky LAS dataset. Name your output image; here, we
have named it Intensity Image_1m, because we are going to use a 1-mr CELLSIZE. Change the
Value Field from the default (Elevation) to Intensity. Under Interpolation Type, Binning, change
Void Fill Method to SIMPLE. (We will give examples later of a different method and you will see
why we have set this to SIMPLE. But if you want more information on the Methods’ options, check
your Help window.)
Don’t forget to change the CELLSIZE to 1. Your CELLSIZE will vary depending on your dataset.
According to ESRI, cell size should be 2, or 4 times the point density spacing, as using smaller cells
may create a significant number of NoData cells. If this occurs, your cell size may not be large
enough. Again, it all depends on the point density of your dataset.
Once your dialog box mirrors the above settings, click OK.
Results:
Do you remember why the red grid exists? The LAS Dataset is still turned on and we are at full
extent.
Using a 1-m Cellsize has maintained the range of intensity values, 0 – 5100 (see Table of Contents
above). An intensity image for lidar data clearly shows roadways, the forested areas, farm fields, etc.
Zoom into the southeastern corner, as we have in previous tutorials. You can see features much more
clearly in this 2D image than you could with just the point cloud - including buildings, especially the
mobile home park and the streets within the park.
How is this intensity image different than the one that was created in the prior tutorial, Statistics for
LAS Datasets? The tool we used in that tutorial only used the range of values to create the image.
For this tool, we are using average within the 1-m grid cell. Average was not a choice with the other
tool. For this specific example of the LAS Dataset to Raster tool, we also have other options, but
range is not one. You will need to make a decision as to which parameter you will use when
processing your dataset; it will depend on your project need.
Uncheck the LAS Dataset in the Table of Contents, so we can see how many NoData cells were
created. You can see them in the image on the previous page as white, but our symbology also
includes white for the highest intensity values. The easiest way to check this parameter is to change
the symbology. Let’s change NoData symbology to red.
Right click on the intensity image name in the Table of Contents and go to Properties > Symbology.
Change Display NoData as to red.
Results: The areas of NoData are areas of water. This would be appropriate as NoData because
calm, clear, deep water will absorb the lidar. But not all of the water is NoData,
This might be a time when it is appropriate to use a Surface Constraint with a hard edge for the
water polygons. Let’s run the same tool again but let’s use the LAS Dataset we created in the tutorial
Adding Surface Constraints to an LAS Dataset, using water with a hard edge.
Remember, we need to make sure we have set the Filter to first returns. Don’t forget when you use
Filter on the LAS Dataset Toolbar, you need to make sure the appropriate LAS dataset is displayed in
the toolbar’s window (note your file may have a different name):
Now enter all the appropriate parameters in the tool. Note that we have created a unique name for our
output dataset. When your tool mirrors the settings in the screenshot below, click OK. You don’t have
to use the same name for your Output Raster, but you should name it something to remember some of
the settings.
Results: The hard edge to the water polygons made all the lidar returns constrained by the polygon
vector file as NoData. Note – we have changed the NoData symbology in the image below to blue.
Still see some very white pixels? If you zoom into these, these are not NoData pixels, just very bright
pixels because our color scheme is white to black.
Yes, you can change that symbology also.
In the following screenshot, we changed the symbology to Purple to Green Diverging, Dark and
inverted the color scheme so the dark green represents the trees, roof tops, etc. We have left the
NoData as blue, as again it is representing our water bodies.
Now, we will examine some of the other parameters within the tool. Here, we use the default
CELLSIZE of 10 with the Void Fill Method - SIMPLE.
The change to a larger cell size has actually smoothed the image, reducing the number of intensity
values.
In addition, it has actually added intensity data to some of the water cells. In the next screenshot, we
changed the NoData values to red. We have a reduced number of NoData cells, but is this
appropriate for a waterbody?
In the next example, we are going to use the CELLSIZE of 1, but change the Void Fill Method to
Natural Neighbor.
Results: This method completely filled in the NoData areas with intensity values. Because we used
the 1-mr Cellsize, the image is very similar to the image generated with the SIMPLE method, but it
added intensity values to the waterbodies.
The choice of which method is appropriate to use is highly dependent on the nature of your LAS
Dataset and the purpose for which you are processing your lidar data.
You may have noticed a third option under the Value Field for this tool: RGB. Use of this feature is
beyond the scope of this tutorial. You may refer to ESRI’s website and chat rooms for further
information on this option.
Tutorial 16: Processing LAZ Datasets
As you recall from a previous tutorial, Downloading USGS Lidar Datasets from EarthExplorer,
one of the download types was LAZ Product.
What is an LAZ Product? It is a compressed file containing the original LAS files, which can be
useful because it facilitates convenient storage and transmission of the often extremely large data sets
typical of lidar imagery.
Neither ArcMap nor Windows will open this file. It requires a special tool to unzip. Freeware is
available on the web to unzip LAZ files.
One tool that is easy to use is Lastools, found at http://www.cs.unc.edu/~isenburg/lastools/. Or you
can use this link (http://lastools.org/download/laszip.exe) to directly download the tool. Using this
link, the following window opens after it has downloaded. Click on Run.
The laszip tool opens. You can apply many functions with this tool, but our purpose here is to show
you how to unzip the LAZ Product that you downloaded from EarthExplorer in the tutorial
Downloading USGS Lidar Datasets from EarthExplorer.
First, we will use the left side of the window. Click on browse …
Make sure the drive that contains your LAZ Product is listed in the directory box. Click in the box in
front of .laz to check it. If any other boxes are checked, we recommend that you uncheck those boxes.
Then click go and you will see all the file folders for that drive in the browse … window.
Navigate to the folder where you downloaded the LAZ Product, double click on the file folder, then
if in a subfolder, double click on that. Once you are in the folder that contains the LAZ Product, the
file will populate in the browse … window.
Double-click on the file and it will populate in the top window. You may also see the large window
in the middle populated with a color.
The LAZ file is now the active file with which you run decompress (unzip). Go to the right side of the
window and in the middle of that column, find DECOMPRESS. Make sure LAS is checked.
Click on DECOMPRESS and the RUN window will open at the top of the screen. Your file will also
be listed.
Click on START. It may appear that nothing has happened but just wait. Once the file has been
decompressed, the RUN window will automatically disappear.
If you have unzipped (decompressed) all the files you need, you can close the laszip window. This
unzipping program is not on your computer; this tutorial instructed you how to use it virtually. If you
need it again, you will need to start over with these instructions.
How do you know that the file has unzipped (decompressed)? Find your file folder on your computer,
and you will see that you now have two (or more, depending on how many files you unzipped) files:
one .laz and one .las. The .las is the unzipped (decompressed file).
You can now use this file to create an LAS Dataset using ArcCatalog or the Data Management
Toolset in ArcMap, as described in the tutorial Preparing LAS Datasets for Use in ArcGIS.
The following screenshots show us adding the file to the LAS Dataset Properties box after creating a
New LAS Dataset in ArcCatalog.
We then added this new LAS Dataset to ArcMap. As a reminder, the LAZ Product we downloaded
from EarthExplorer in the tutorial Downloading USGS Lidar Datasets from EarthExplorer
covered the eastern shore of Virginia.
This tutorial showed how to unzip (decompress) an LAZ file. We specifically used the LAZ Product
downloaded from the EarthExplorer, but you can use this software with any LAZ file.
Again, other freeware is available on the internet. This is just an example of one tool that provides
easy use for LAZ files.
[1]
http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#//015w00000059000000
[2]
http://support.esri.com/en/knowledgebase/GISDictionary/term/TIN

Using Lidar in ArcGIS

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Using Lidar in ArcGIS

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Working with Lidar using ArcGIS Desktop

By: Tammy E. Parece, John A. McGee, and James B. Campbell

This document is available as an ebook on Kindle -

Additional Printed Resources for Remote Sensing:

Additional Printed Resources for Lidar in ArcGIS Desktop:

Additional Online Resources:

Example of ground-based lidar (image from USGS http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2012/04/pubs.html)

Different lidar pulse densities within a 1-m circle

For a complete glossary of lidar terms, see:

United States Forest Service (USFS)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) - Waveform Lidar

You will get the following dialog box:

The Metadata Export dialog box opens up.

Now let’s return to the top of the results box.

You get a new dialog box with four choices:

Click the Add to Map button on the first scene.

You will get the Metadata Export dialog box:

And in the Preview window, the polygons are displayed:

You will need to do this for both NM_Albuquerque_2010 datasets:

We can change this. Go to Customize and click on ArcCatalog Options.

Double click on the tool, and you get a dialog box.

Right click on the file name, and left click on Properties.

We now have six datasets connected to our Albuquerque LAS file.

Change the Preview from Geography to 3D View.

But, before we proceed, try to answer the following questions:

Slope (default setting for slope in ArcGIS is degrees, not percentage):

Changes using the dropdown arrows:

You can create large

Once you have finished, click on Close. Now click on Properties.

Finally, click on Interpolate Polygon.

Do you remember how? The following screenshot provides a hint.

All points in Profile View.

Points symbolized by Class Code in Profile View:

Open ArcCatalog from ArcMap.

Contours with contour interval at 5 m:

The DEM is now displayed as 3D.

Adding RandomBox constraint using Hard_Line:

Checking further for actual error:

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