00:01Well, let's move on from spatial analysis to 3D analysis and leveraging lidar.

00:07For more than a hundred years, the USGS has been mapping elevation and terrain.

00:12We've grown from contour maps and TINs to the National Elevation Dataset to collections...

00:18...massive collections of lidar that accurately measure our world.

00:23To learn more about the application and use of lidar in ArcGIS, please welcome Brett Rose.

00:32Thanks, John.

00:34Lidar's rapidly becoming a very important source of data.

00:37And today I'm going to go through three examples where lidar truly makes a difference: in flood mapping...

00:43...resource management, and utilities.

00:48For example, in an area such as those along the Red River, hundreds of homes may flood every year...

00:55...and lidar is truly the only data source out there with fidelity to address this issue.

01:01And to illustrate this, we'll use a web application that's accessible from our lidar group in our organization.

01:15So this web application allows us to see the flood stages, half a foot at a time, as they begin to approach the homes.

01:25And when citizens are made aware of the impending flood stage, they can use this simple tool to sketch out a sandbag levee...

01:34...and get a quick estimate on the number of sandbags they'll need to protect their home.

01:39This app provides really important information, but it wouldn't be possible without lidar.

01:45So let's see how we can bring lidar into ArcGIS.

01:51You know, usually when we receive lidar, it's in these LAS files, or "lass" files, and we bring them into ArcGIS using a LAS dataset.

02:03And for flood mapping, we usually use a very detailed surface model where we've removed all the trees and buildings...

02:11...but we know lidar has a lot more information in it.

02:14So let's turn on all the lidar.

02:18This lidar also comes with classifications, which really gives us a better sense of context.

02:24And we can use a Profile tool to really start to understand the relative positions of the home and the river.

02:34Looks like there's an area where it's not classified right, so let's fix that real quick.

02:42So just with a few clicks of a mouse, we can edit thousands of points of lidar.

02:51And also to get a better sense of context, we can view things in 3D as well.

02:58So now engineers can start to utilize all the information that's in lidar to create very detailed flood maps...

03:04...that'll help us prepare for the next flood.

03:09So next, let's look at how we manage our natural resources and the enormous volumes of data that are often associated with lidar.

03:17In this example, we'll calculate a biomass for some forest in the Blue Ridge of North Carolina.

03:23Let's reach back out to our organization and see if we have an elevation service that's registered there that's based off lidar.

03:31This one looks like it'll work.

03:33So this elevation service has highly detailed elevation data covering more than 7,600 square miles...

03:42...and is built from more than four billion points of lidar.

03:50And it's the lidar we need to be able to calculate the biomass for our study area.

03:55The good news is we can download the LAS files straight from the service.

04:02Now, the source data that we're downloading will include all the lidar, including the classification codes and everything we need.

04:14So let's add this to our map with a layer file that's already filtering the LAS data for just the vegetation...

04:22...which is exactly what we need to calculate our biomass.

04:26Here, the darker colors indicate the highest biomass index.

04:29So by combining GIS with lidar, we can manage our most precious natural resources or forests.

04:38So, so far, we've been looking at how we utilize aerial lidar.

04:43Now let's look at a more focused application where we're using terrestrial lidar.

04:48And we all know how frustrating it can be when the lights go out.

04:53So let's turn on the lights.

04:56Here, terrestrial lidar provides the detail and accuracy and allows us to start to see the power lines very clearly.

05:05Using ArcGIS 10.1, we can perform true 3D analysis and identify exactly which branches need to be cut.

05:14So I hope you've been able to see how—thank you.

05:23So lidar can be used to create some very compelling visualizations, but it can also be used in very detailed true 3D analysis...

05:30...which will help you maximize the value of lidar. John?

05:36Thanks, Brett.

05:40A year ago, when someone said "lidar" to me, I would think of stacks and stacks of DVDs...

05:44...and grayscale hillshades and lots and lots of points.

05:48But today, we see color.

05:51We see detail unlike anything we've ever seen before; and we see applications, like precision agriculture...

05:57...flood management, right-of-way management, airport safety, vertical obstructions, and so much more.