NASA GIFT Iceland Highlands: 2019 Oskjuvatn LiDAR

LiDAR scans were taken using a tripod mounted Riegl VZ-400 scanning LiDAR. The tripod was set up such that the scanner was between 1.5 and 2.5 m tall. The VZ-400 is a near infrared (1550 nm) scanner. Geometric control was achieved using a pair of Trimble RB GPS antennae, one mounted on the LiDAR scanner (rover) and the other setup as a base station. Before taking a LiDAR scan, the VZ-400 would use the GPS to fix a real time kinematic (RTK) solution for the scanner’s location and then use that position (scan position) as a reference for LiDAR returns. Post processing was done using RIScan-Pro version 2 (scanner specific software). Also, in post-processing, overlapping areas of point clouds were merged and inaccuracies in roll, pitch and yaw, were resolved using a multi station adjustment routine. The data were projected in UTM coordinates for export. Once post-processed, data were exported in “.las” format with LiDAR reflectance (infrared) saved as intensity. The point cloud is georeferenced and projected in UTM Zone 28 North and generally has < 1 cm point spacing, however spacing varies locally and depending on the distance from the scanner to the target.