Enhancing GIS and LIDAR data through Virtual Reality

Trevor M. Harris, Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University, trevor.harris@mail.wvu.edu

D. Vic Baker, West Virginia Virtual Environments Laboratory, West Virginia University, vic.baker@mail.wvu.edu

L. Jesse Rouse, Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University, jrouse@geo.wvu.edu

Adam Horne, West Virginia Virtual Environments Laboratory, West Virginia University, ahorne@mix.wvu.edu

LIDAR (Light Distance and Ranging) technology is an airborne laser system capable of acquiring extremely accurate terrain information. Scanning laser pulses, emitted from a sensor mounted on an aircraft platform, measure the distance to a target and yields highly accurate georectified x, y, z responses from terrain, vegetation, and structures. LIDAR data is now increasingly available for many areas in the US and most recently received national attention when used at the site of the World Trade Center in New York. The use of LIDAR data in GIS provides a powerful capability for numerous applications not least in terrain modeling and digital mapping. This research seeks to extend the use of LIDAR in GIS by combining it with the rich visualization environment provided by Virtual Reality.

In the LIDAR sensor return, the capturing sensor receives five laser responses from the top of vegetation (the first or vegetation response) and the bare earth and buildings (the last response). This research uses the early LIDAR responses to develop a canopy height model which is then used in combination with classified aerial or satellite imagery to identify the vegetation type. Merging terrain model, vegetation canopy, and vegetation type into a Virtual Reality environment provides a powerful three-dimensional means of visually exploring the data. The automated visualization of highly accurate terrain data populated with appropriate vegetation cover and vegetation height promises to have significant potential in a number of application domains.