Airborne LiDAR Point Cloud for North American Forest Ecosystems

G-LiHT data provides high-density individual LiDAR return data with over 10 points per square meter. The dataset maps forest composition, structure, and function across the Conterminous United States, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. It is processed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in LAS Version 1.1 binary format.

Use Cases

• Estimate forest canopy height and structure using Above Ground Level (AGL) height values.
• Classify ground surface and vegetation from the classified ground returns within the point cloud.
• Analyze LiDAR apparent reflectance to assess surface material properties across different forest types.
• Generate 3D terrain models using the 3D coordinate data (x, y, z) for each LiDAR return.

Strengths

• Point cloud density exceeds 10 points per square meter.
• Data covers a broad diversity of forest communities and ecoregions across North America.
• Provides high-density individual LiDAR returns including 3D coordinates and classified ground data.

Limitations

• Specific row count, file size, and temporal coverage are unknown.
• Geographic coverage is limited to North American regions (CONUS, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Mexico).

Provenance

Source

NASA Goddard's LiDAR, Hyperspectral, and Thermal Imager (G-LiHT) mission.

Collection Method

Airborne imaging system collecting simultaneous LiDAR, hyperspectral, and thermal data.

Time Range

null

Freshness

null

Geography

Conterminous United States (CONUS), Alaska, Puerto Rico, and Mexico.