1. Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
an INDUSTRY SURVEY

2. Vegetation Mapping
Toby Clewett and Measurement
using LiDAR
Geospatial Analyst INDUSTRY SURVEY
by TOBY CLEWETT
Sunshine Coast
Captain Cook’s ‘Glasshouse Mountains’

3. Vegetation Mapping
Toby Clewett and Measurement
using LiDAR
Geospatial Analyst INDUSTRY SURVEY
by TOBY CLEWETT
Geographical Software
Information Systems Engineering
GIS
Remote
Sensing

4. Presentation Structure Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
INDUSTRY SURVEY
by TOBY CLEWETT
Survey
Project LiDAR
Survey
Project LiDAR
Survey
Spatial Spatial Coordination
Spatial
Method and Applications
Method and Applications
Method and
Cognition
Motivations Cognition
Motivations in the Future
Cognition
Response Diversity
Response Diversity
Response
• LiDAR Technology opportunities • Mapping Frequency
• gain knowledge of industry Best Practice • Scale Preferences
• further my Structured Research and • Colour-Ramps, 2.5D & 3D
technical skills
• Preferences for LiDAR Derived Biophysical
Characteristics
• email based Cluster Purposive Survey
• Diversity: Field-work, Bio-Condition, Built
method
Environment, Riparian, Bushfire, Flooding, Corridor
• demographics – Organisations, Planning, etc, etc..
Professions, Locations, etc.
• survey content – i.e. Maps, Videos, • Barriers to adoption – Skills, Systems, Awareness
Question Types • Issues – Quality, Standards, Constraints, Integration
• Research Questions

5. Presentation Structure Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
INDUSTRY SURVEY
by TOBY CLEWETT
LiDAR
Coordination
Applications
in the Future
Diversity

6. Project Motivations Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
Project Motivations
• LiDAR Technology opportunities
• gain knowledge of industry Best Practice
• further my Structured Research and technical skills

7. Geospatial Revolution Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT

8. LiDAR Success on the Sunshine Coast Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
- Detailed topographic
maps for intensely
vegetated environments
with a canopy height Vegetation Patch Mean Crown Height
thematic for ‘Emergent’
Trees
- Vegetation maps for the
Sunshine Coast
highlighting remnant, 14m
regrowth and other patch
types such as plantation 22m
forestry
- Regional Vegetation
Maps Patch Crown Height
6m
- Sippy Downs Riparian
Area

9. Point Clouds – a Rich Source of Information Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
LiDAR presents huge opportunity for
the environmental sciences
• Visualisation from two LiDAR data sources. Larger points are
laser strikes from an Aerial Laser Survey (ALS), whilst the
finer points are from a Terrestrial Laser Survey (TLS).

10. 300 Billion Points Across Queensland? Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT

11. Industry Best Practice Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
Gain knowledge of industry
Best Practice

12. Structured Research Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
Structured Research - Spatial Sciences Thesis
How do we best inform vegetation Professor Stuart Phinn
Director, Centre for Spatial
management using LiDAR derived Environmental Research (CSER)
biophysical characteristics?
Dr Tiffany Morrison
Senior Lecturer in
Environmental Planning

13. Survey Method and Response Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
Survey Method and Response
‘Snowball’ or ‘Chain-Referal’
Sampling
survey of United States Landsat users:
The population of Landsat users in the U.S. can
be characterized as "unknown" because there
is no list that contains contact information for
every user in the U.S. from which to sample.
Email Based

14. Survey Method and Response Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
Survey Response by Location
South-east Australia Pacific Rim
Queensland

15. Survey Method and Response Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
57% Response Rate
157 Completed Surveys

16. Survey Method and Response Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
ABS Standard Professions
Maybe 10,000 professionals within South-east Queensland
(population 3 million) i.e. 0.3%

17. Survey Method and Response Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
Web-Based Survey
Numerous examples across a
broad range of areas
1) Respondent Backgrounds
2) LiDAR derived vegetation
mapping information
3) Barriers and Additional
Issues

18. Survey Method and Response Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
Twenty-Four Maps
Height, FPC, Aggregated LiDAR Heights

20. Spatial Cognition Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
Spatial Cognition

21. Spatial Cognition Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
How easy is it to
Motivations Response
Cognition
Diversity
in the Future
by TOBY CLEWETT
look at the
colours in this
map and
determine the
height of objects?

22. Spatial Cognition Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
Map Type
Use Frequency
Spatial Re/Cognition
Processes?

23. Spatial Cognition Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
Mapping Scale Frequency
Parcel Street Suburb Regional National
1:1,000 1:5,000 1:50,000 1:100,000 1:500,000

24. Spatial Cognition Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
Question: at what Scale do you most often use Maps?
“I most often•use parcel scale the most used (32%) mapping scale
Parcel Scale was
mapping. The scales I would use
after that would be Spread with street (26%) Suburb Scale, and so on..”
• Even Street Scale, then and suburb scales (23%)

25. LiDAR Applications Diversity Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
LiDAR Applications Diversity

26. LiDAR Applications Diversity Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
‘Vegetated Polygon
Respondents chose
Extents’ a list the
from was of
A Two Thirds Majority
vegetation related
most useful
put ‘Leaf Area Index’
biophysical
as less, Even Spreaduseful
the least or not of
characteristics.
‘Foliage
indicates the
Projectiveof uses
diversity Cover’
But…11% thought is
and
for LiDAR data
was ‘Most Useful’!
Theyin ‘Height’ from
rated them
vegetation
were the??? andtord
‘most useful’ 3
2nd
management
‘least useful
most useful’
Selection was optional

27. LiDAR Applications Diversity Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
LiDAR Applications Diversity
• regrowth or remnant vegetation status, age, bio-condition, or structure,
optimising and planning field work
• wildfire behaviour, prescribed burns, fuel loads and property buffers
• land-cover classification, the built form, street trees, shade, suburban
footpaths and recreation, urban vegetation corridors and heat island
effects
• flood modelling, riparian condition, status and structure
• road corridor design

28. LiDAR Applications Diversity Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
Four Questions – Height, FPC, Software, Scaled
e.g. …Would using Vegetation Height Mapping at a street scale (1:2,000),
increase the efficiency, quality or consistency of your work? Briefly describe
why/how in the text box below.
71% Likely or Very Likely
• Very Likely
• Likely
• Unsure
• Unlikely
• Very Unlikely

29. Coordination in the Future Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
Barriers Feedback on this
question was very
strong, with 87% of
respondents describing
barriers that may exist
to effectively utilise
LiDAR derived maps,
mapping products or
GIS analyses in their
work

30. Coordination in the Future Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
Barriers
Knowledge
Systems
Cost
“Time to barrier. When LIDAR data is purchased, or licensed,
“In terms of utilising LiDAR derived Computing power.”
“Cost is ado so - do the processing. maps for the purpose of
riparian modelling, there is a bit of a knowledge/resource gap
the full range of analysis products are seldom budgeted for by
“Appropriate hardware to it. Often it is volumes of data”
on project that purchasedmanage large necessary to wait for
thehow to extract and utilise the necessary information from
LiDAR to provide valuable a different product before the money
another project to require inputs into other environmental
models.”
can be found. This approach ultimately wastes both time and
money.”

31. Coordination in the Future Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT
#%@*!
Key Issues
Quality
Accuracy
Limitations
“Data quality (i.e. accuracy analysis of products).
“Accuracy of the LiDAR; Field calibration/validation; LiDAR
“Assessment of limitations Assessment of accuracy and confidence level of
information (i.e. especially considering derivative information)” is able
Comparison between different sensors topurposedata
capture specifications and sensor type; ensure of the
tomapping; available skills; data licensing”
be compared.”

32. Coordination in the Future Vegetation Mapping
and Measurement
using LiDAR
Project Survey LiDAR
Spatial Coordination
Method and Applications INDUSTRY SURVEY
Motivations Cognition in the Future
Response Diversity by TOBY CLEWETT