[R-sig-Geo] Methods for working with LIDAR data

[Dylan Beaudette]

On Wednesday 28 July 2010, Waichler, Scott R wrote:
> I have a text file with x, y, z data from a LIDAR survey.  Can someone
> suggest a method to use to derive a Spatial Pixels or Spatial Grid object
> from these?  The spacing is not exactly regular of course.  The data are
> dense over all of the domain except for some blank areas, which I would
> like to designate as NA.
>
> I am open to using most packages and functions, but don't want to use
> GRASS.
>
> Scott
>

Any particular reason not to use GRASS? In most cases it will scale to very 
large point datasets very nicely. Specifically, see the module r.in.xyz 

http://grass.itc.it/grass65/manuals/html65_user/r.in.xyz.html

From the manual page:
"r.in.xyz is designed for processing massive point cloud datasets, for example 
raw LIDAR or sidescan sonar swath data. It has been tested with datasets as 
large as 14.5 billion points (379GB)."

Some more information from the GRASS Wiki:
http://grass.osgeo.org/wiki/LIDAR

Cheers,
Dylan

-- 
Dylan Beaudette
Soil Resource Laboratory
http://casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/
University of California at Davis
530.754.7341