INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Green Technology
LiDAR data provides breakthrough
in forestry management
LiDAR technology is providing
data critical for the success of
the management of forests.
Local councils responsible for developing
just how green Australia’s urban
and regional areas can be in the
future, have a new and highly accurate
management tool at their disposal – one
that gets off the ground and into the air.
A new solution that has been derived from a
technology called ‘LiDAR’ – which stands for
laser-based light detection and ranging – has
been developed by Adelaide-based aerial
mapping specialist, Aerometrex.
Mounted in the body of a specially fitted
aircraft, LiDAR emits laser pulses from the
plane to ground level as it flies over a target
survey area, with the pulse reflected back to
sensors within the aircraft.
The data can then measure the exact
location of trees, their height, the breadth
and density of their canopies, the structure
of branches, the height of canopies from
the ground, and the type and density of the
ground level vegetation around the trees.
The sheer volume, intensity and accuracy of
the data – whether it be over government,
private backyards or community land such
as public parks and gardens – is a major
time and cost gain for councils compared to
traditional and more time consuming, less
accurate and costly land-based surveys.
“This LiDAR-derived tool is a breakthrough
which takes managing our urban and
regional forests across Australia out of the
1950’s foot patrols into a leading edge,
data driven outcome,” said Mark Deuter,
Aerometrex’s Managing Director.
“Critically, the data can be generated in
3D images and direct comparisons made
between flight readings taken say a year
ago, and today, so that loss, or growth, in
tree numbers and canopy spread, is readily
identifiable. This allows more relevant problem
areas to be identified and more relevant
solutions enacted, particularly to meet
growing public expectations that Australia
needs to be greener rather than browner.”
Fabrice Marre, Geospatial Innovation
Manager at Aerometrex, said forests deliver
positive economic, social and environmental
benefits, including mitigating water run-off,
and are an obvious source of food and
shelter for wildlife, increase local property
values and help ‘cool down’ city areas.
“It actually takes lots of knowledge to
manage trees, including correct selection
of locations for new plantings, the types of
tree that need planting, whether they are a
species best able to deliver a required canopy
spread, and whether they potentially increase
or decrease an area’s fire risk,” said Marre.
“Councils and government agencies
Australia-wide have ‘greening’ targets
that have to be reached. LiDar takes the
guesswork and potential mismanagement
out of it by providing wide-scale but realtime
data that shows an exact percentage of
treed areas and canopy cover.”
LiDar can also measure and digitize images
of buildings surrounding areas with trees,
creating strong visual ‘alerts’ of any highlevel
degradation compared to previous
fly-bys. The data also allows a comparison
of the volume of canopy loss against new
growth canopy cover as well. •
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