This document describes LESTO, an open source toolbox for analyzing LiDAR data related to forestry. It contains modules for pre-processing LiDAR point cloud data, interpolating rasters, extracting buildings, separating flightlines, identifying individual trees, and estimating forest structure and biomass. The toolbox is released under an open source license and open to contributions related to LiDAR analysis. It is developed to help analyze a case study area in the Aurina Valley using field plot data and LiDAR collected in 2012.

1. Estimating forest structure and
biomass through LiDAR data:
the L.E.S.T.O. toolbox
Andrea Antonello, Franceschi Silvia,
Floreancig Valentino, Comiti Francesco, Tonon Giustino
FOSS4G Osaka October 2014

2. INTRODUCTION
● co-founder of HydroloGIS with Andrea Antonello
● environmental engineer specialized in hydrology,
hydraulics and geomorphology
● PhD student of Science and Technology at the
University of Bolzano (Italy)
● developed scientific models contained in the
JGrassTools library in the field of:
– hydrology
– hydraulics
– forestry
● OSGeo Charter Member

3. JGRASSTOOLS
● geospatial library containing modules for:
– vector and raster processing
– geomorphology
– forestry
– mobile mapping support
● it is the core behind the Spatial Toolbox of uDig GIS
● it can be used stand alone using the Stage
(http://bit.ly/stage_downloads): Spatial Toolbox
And Geoscripting Ennvironment tool for
environmental modelling

4. JGRASSTOOLS

5. JGRASSTOOLS

6. JGRASSTOOLS

7. JGRASSTOOLS

8. JGRASSTOOLS

9. JGRASSTOOLS

10. WHAT IS LESTO?
● Open Source
● GIS aware
● library dedicated to
● sciences that make use of
● LiDAR data
Developed and maintained by HydroloGIS and the
team of prof. Tonon at the Faculty of Science and
Technology of the Free University of Bolzano (Italy).
Contains tools for handling high resolution LiDAR
data (LAS) and for LiDAR analysis related to forestry.

11. MODULES OVERVIEW
Utilities
las reading/writing
las spatial index
las info, overview
las point density
Raster
las interpolation
- DTM
- DSM
- CHM
Filters
las height distribution
las histogram
las merge
las threshold
Tools
Building extraction
Forestry analysis
Intensity analysis

12. MODULES OVERVIEW IN STAGE

13. MODULES OVERVIEW IN STAGE

14. PREPROCESSING
Packages including the available pre-processing operations
are:
● Utilities
– LasIndexer: creates indexes for LAS files

15. LasIndexer

16. LasIndexer

17. PREPROCESSING
Packaging including the available pre-processing
operations are:
● Utilities
– LasIndexer: creates indexes for LAS files
– LasInfo: prints out information of a LAS file/folder

18. LasInfo

19. LasInfo

20. PREPROCESSING
Packaging including the available pre-processing
operations are:
● Utilities
– LasIndexer: creates indexes for LAS files
– LasInfo: prints out information of a LAS file/folder
– LasOverviewCreator: creates a shp with overview

21. LasOverviewCreator

22. LasOverviewCreator

23. PREPROCESSING
Packaging including the available pre-processing
operations are:
● Utilities
– LasIndexer: creates indexes for LAS files
– LasInfo: prints out information of a LAS file/folder
– LasOverviewCreator: creates a shp with overview
– LasPointDensityExtractor: creates a shp with point
cloud density on a given grid

24. LasPointDensityExtractor

25. LasPointDensityExtractor

26. PREPROCESSING
Packaging including the available pre-processing
operations are:
● Utilities
– LasIndexer
– LasInfo
– LasOverviewCreator
– LasPointDensityExtractor
● Filter
– LasHeightDistribution: analyze the height distribution
and categorize the forest type

27. LasHeightDistribution

28. LasHeightDistribution

29. PREPROCESSING
Packaging including the available pre-processing
operations are:
● Utilities
– LasIndexer
– LasInfo
– LasOverviewCreator
– LasPointDensityExtractor
● Filter
– LasHeightDistribution
– LasHistogram: creates an histogram of the elevation
or intensity of all the points in the LAS file

30. LasHistogram

31. LasHistogram

32. PREPROCESSING
Packaging including the available pre-processing
operations are:
● Utilities
– LasIndexer
– LasInfo
– LasOverviewCreator
– LasPointDensityExtractor
● Filter
– LasHeightDistribution
– LasHistogram
– LasMerger: merges all the LAS file contained in a
folder in a single one

33. LasMerger

34. PREPROCESSING
Packaging including the available pre-processing
operations are:
● Utilities
– LasIndexer
– LasInfo
– LasOverviewCreator
– LasPointDensityExtractor
● Filter
– LasHeightDistribution
– LasHistogram
– LasMerger
– LasThresholder: extracts the points with values in an
interval

35. LasThresholder

36. LasThresholder

37. LasThresholder

38. RASTER
Raster package contains all the available modules to
interpolate and create a raster (DTM, DSM) from raw point
cloud. The different interpolation algorithms are
● AdaptiveTinFilter: the implementation of the adaptive TIN
method of Axelsons
● Las2BivariateRasterMosaic: uses the bivariate function
to interpolate a raster from the point cloud and creates a
mosaic of TIF
● Las2RasterInterpolator: interpolates a raster from LAS
points using the Inverse Distance Weight method
● LasOnRasterMapper: creates a raster by mapping
max/min elevation point in each pixel
● LasTriangulation2Dsm: creates a DSM from the
triangulation of the point cloud

39. RASTER
ADAPTIVE TIN

40. RASTER
ADAPTIVE TIN

41. RASTER
MAX HEIGHT

42. BUILDINGS
This package contains a module to extract the vector data
of the buildings from a LAS file.
● LasOnDtmBuildingExtractor: based on the identification
of the holes in the ground generated by cutting all the
points with an elevation on the ground over a given
threshold
● the output shapefile can be cleaned from noise data and
smoothed on the boundaries

43. BUILDINGS

44. BUILDINGS

45. FLIGHTLINES
Modules to separate different flightlines inside a LAS file:
● FlightLinesExtractor: creates different las files for each of
the different flightlines inside the single las

46. FLIGHTLINES

47. FLIGHTLINES

48. FLIGHTLINES

49. FLIGHTLINES
Modules to separate different flightlines inside a LAS file:
● FlightLinesExtractor: creates different las files for each of
the different flightlines inside the single las
● FlightLinesIntensityNormalizer: normalize intensity
values between different flightlines considering the
position of the aircraft (x,y,z)

50. FLIGHTLINES

51. FLIGHTLINES

52. VEGETATION
Extrapolation of the whole forest biometric data (e.g.
forest biomass) can be obtained through two
approaches:
● area-based approaches (AB): forest attributes are
estimated by relating plot data to ALS data by
statistically procedure
● individual tree crown (ITC) approaches: can use both
raster CHM and point ALS data and are aimed to
detect position and main characteristics of each
single tree. Single-tree records can then be
aggregated at plot, forest, watershed or regional
scale.

53. VEGETATION
Extrapolation of the whole forest biometric data (e.g.
forest biomass) can be obtained through two
approaches:
● area-based approaches (AB): forest attributes are
estimated by relating plot data to ALS data by
statistically procedure
● individual tree crown (ITC) approaches: ITC
approaches can use both raster CHM and point ALS
data and are aimed to detect position and main
characteristics of each single tree. Single-tree
records can then be aggregated at plot, forest,
watershed or regional scale.

54. VEGETATION
The position of trees and vegetation information are
used to evaluate:
● the forest structure
● the volume of biomass
● the source of hydro-geological hazard related to
– hillslopes stability
– transport of wood in rivers.

55. STUDY AREA: DESCRIPTION
high local variety in
forest structure
AURINA VALLEY
AREA = 10 km2
VEGETATION:
●Norway spruce (Picea abies)
●Larch (Larix decidua)
●Stone pine (Pinus cembra)

56. STUDY AREA: LiDAR SURVEY (2012)
points classification
points difference DTM
DTM + DSM
points density = 10 p/m2

57. STUDY AREA: FIELD SURVEY (2013)
12 CIRCULAR PLOTS
AREA = 0.07 ha
RADIUS = 15 m
BUFFER 150 m ROADS
FOREST STRUCTURES:
●young
●biplane
●adult
●multilayer

58. STUDY AREA: FIELD SURVEY (2013)
ALLOMETRIC RELATIONSHIPS
V(tree) = f(h,DBH)

59. Sample plots: forest metrics

60. Sample plots: forest metrics

61. Sample plots: forest metrics

62. VEGETATION MODULES
The available modules for single tree extraction are
based on the identification of local maxima:
● RasterMaximaFinder: identifies local maxima on
raster input data

63. RasterMaximaFinder

64. RasterMaximaFinder

65. RasterMaximaFinder

66. RasterMaximaFinder

67. RasterMaximaFinder

68. VEGETATION MODULES
The available modules for single tree extraction are
based on the identification of local maxima:
● RasterMaximaFinder: identifies local maxima on
raster input data
● PointCluodMaximaFinder: identifies local maxima on
point cloud input data

69. PointCloudMaximaFinder

70. PointCloudMaximaFinder

71. PointCloudMaximaFinder

72. VEGETATION MODULES
The available modules for single tree extraction are
based on the identification of local maxima:
● RasterMaximaFinder: identifies local maxima on
raster input data
● PointCluodMaximaFinder: identifies local maxima on
point cloud input data
● WatershedAlgorithm: delineates the crowns of the
trees based on raster data

73. WatershedAlgorithm

74. WatershedAlgorithm

75. FUTURE PLANS
● stabilize and release some new algorithms of
pre/post processing of extracted maximum points
to improve the results
● implement Particle Swarming Optimizer for
automatic calibration of the models
● integrate a visualizer for LAS point data
● use the results in the models for the evaluation of
the hazard related to transport of wood during
floods

76. LICENCE AND DISTRIBUTION
LESTO is released under Open Source License
(GPL v3) on the JGrasstools website.
The toolbox is open to contributions on any LiDAR
related (future might even bring roads or power
lines).

77. USEFUL LINKS
http://www.jgrasstools.org
http://bit.ly/stage_downloads
http://www.udig.eu