Obtaining LiDAR Data, Contracting

Considerations

Kenny Legleiter
Project Manager
Merrick & Company
 Cost Considerations

How much will

LiDAR Cost? $$$$
 Factors that Affect Price

 Contracting mechanism
 Writing of the specifications/statement of work
 Entity doing the QA/QC of the data
 Disk space needs
 Client project management
 Acquisition parameters
 Acquisition sensors (LiDAR, Digital cameras,
hyperspectral, thermal)
 Factors that Affect Price (cont.)
 Square mileage of area (cheaper by the dozen)
 Shape of the project area (square or rectangular
in shape is best)
 Ground Sample Distance (GSD)
 <1 meter
 1 meter
 2 meter
 3 meter
 Factors that Affect Price (cont.)
 Final Product Deliverables
 LiDAR only processed to bare
earth
 LiDAR with breaklines
 Contour intervals
 Imagery / Digital Orthophotography
 Map Accuracy Specifications
 ASPRS – Class 1, 2 or 3
 National Standard for Spatial Data
Accuracy (NSSDA)
 FEMA
 Number of QA/QC Points
 LIDAR Cost Examples

Hydro- Total
LID meet NSSDA enforced LIDAR w/
Area AR specification LIDAR Breaklin Breakline
(square GSD for contour /Sq. es/Sq. s/Sq.
miles) (ft) Interval (ft) Mile Mile Mile
2 (18.5 cm vertical
100 4 RMSE) $500 $150 $650
2 (18.5 cm vertical
1,000 4 RMSE) $200 $140 $340
2 (18.5 cm vertical
5,000 4 RMSE) $125 $120 $245
2 (18.5 cm vertical
10,000 4 RMSE) $105 $100 $205
 Contracts/Agreements

What factors
should be
considered
when
contracting
for LiDAR?
 The Keys to a Successful
LiDAR Project
 Understand your mapping requirements
and the purpose for completing a LIDAR
project prior to signing of the contract.
 Utilize a qualification-based selection
process to select your LIDAR consultant.
 Hire a LiDAR firm that owns a LIDAR
sensor.
 Ask for quality control plan.
 Dedicate the appropriate number of
internal resources to the project.
 Determine who will lead the effort, act as a
Project Manager
 Keys to a Successful
LiDAR Project (continued)
 Know exactly how the quality control is going to be
performed by the consultant and internally.
 Understand the differences in LIDAR technology. The
age of the sensor, pulse rate, roll compensation, field
of view are unique to each system.
 Determine which accuracy specification is going to be
adhered to (i.e. ASPRS, NMAS, NSSDA, etc.).
 Hybrid accuracy standards should only be used as long
as there is accurate LiDAR specifications and is
tailored to the project.
 Keys to a Successful
LiDAR Project (continued)

 Include a ground truth survey component in the project.

Best if completed independently of LiDAR contractor.
 Request a LIDAR flight plan in the Request For
Qualifications that clearly demonstrates the consultants
understanding of the acquisition issues. (side overlap
percentages, eye safety requirements, flight line breaks
due to extreme elevation change, multiple pass areas
over very tall buildings, etc.)
 Make sure LiDAR specifications are in the RFP or RFQ,
don’t use a traditional photogrammetry specification or
use a LiDAR specifications that is several years old
 Three Types of Contracts

 Request for Proposals (RFP)

 Price key factor

 Common for local governments

 Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

 Qualifications key factor

 Price worked out after award

 Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ)

 Multiple task orders/multiple years

 Ex. USGS, Corps of Engineers

 QA/QC of Data

Exactly how accurate is

my data?

Allows users to
understand “how
accurate is accurate”
 Sources of Error in LiDAR Data


DGPS, Differential GPS

Position of the plane (lat, long,
elevation)

IMU, Inertial Measurement Unit

Attitude of the plane (pitch, roll,
heading)

LiDAR Sensor

Accuracy of ranging and
trajectories of shots.

Calibration of data

Relative accuracy of data which is
typically the greatest source of
error.

Ground control survey

Control creates absolute accuracy.

System Installation

System mounting

Flight Acquisition

Proper GPS and IMU collection
procedures

Data Processing Problems

GPS processing and LiDAR
boresighting

Filtering

Smoothing
 Helpful Hints

 How is the data going to be QA/QC once it is

delivered – BE PREPARED!!
 Each delivery should be reviewed and commented on
within 30-days of delivery
 Software can be used to help with QA/QC the land
cover survey points – determine accuracy by land
cover
 Other review methods to look for artifacts, quality of
data, data formatting, flight lines not aligned, etc.
 Recommend hiring an experienced company to do
the review (ex. Dewberry)
Land Cover Validation Methods

QA/QC using survey equipment

 Individual check points
 Surveyed cross sections
 Area surveys
 Existing survey points
 Ground Truth Surveying

Require a digital photograph of the survey shot

 Land Cover Ground Truth
Surveying

 Detailed land-cover and land-use

classification survey
 Used to determine accuracy in and under
vegetation
 FEMA guidelines for cover class surveys
 Allows users to understand “how accurate is
accurate”
 Individual Checkpoints

 FEMA has general guidelines, but each region of

the country will be different
 Urban
 Bare ground
 Short grass
 Brush
 Forest

 20 or more survey points per category, minimum of

three land cover types
Area Surveys and Cross-Sections

 Verify larger area (compared to single points)

 Typically high degree of accuracy
 Provides an accuracy assessment for real world
applications
 High Cost
Existing Control, Utility
Contour Databases

 Existing databases with elevations

attributes
(i.e., geodetic, utility surveys)
 Depending on vintage, may not truly
represent present conditions
 Be careful of basis of survey
methodology
 Wrong projections/datums
 Survey Control Report


Works upon analyzing control point elevations
compared to their vertical intersection point of the
LiDAR TIN, depending on the user defined classes
enabled and disabled

Only reports vertical accuracy

Contour Interval Wizard to choose from:

FGDC/NSSDA/FEMA

ASPRS Class 1, 2, or 3

NMAS

RMSEz or Vertical Accuracy requirement can by
manually input

Control is analyzed to TIN of DSM surface

Statistics report:

Average Z Error

Median Z Error

Minimum Z Error

Maximum Z Error

Standards report for PASS or FAIL for:

Average Z Error

RMSEz

Vertical Accuracy

Achievable Contour Interval report for:

FGDC/NSSDA/FEMA

ASPRS Class 1, 2, or 3

NMAS

Selectable classes to analyze from

Tabular readout of all control information

Export control report to Excel file

Export DSM data for the 3 points forming the TIN of
analysis for each control point
 Contour Results

Contours without breaklines Contours with breaklines

DEM DTM
 Visual Inspection
Should NOT See Any of These Artifacts
Above Ground Points Not
Removed
 LiDAR Not Properly Calibrated

Flight lines should be within the vertical accuracy

specification
 QA/QC of LiDAR Data

DO NOT TAKE THIS STEP LIGHTLY,

PLAN EARLY ON HOW YOU WANT
TO DO THIS!!!
 Questions

Kenny Legleiter Project Manager

Merrick & Company
303-353-3837
Kenny.legleiter@merrick.com
www.merrick.com