{"id":960,"date":"2026-04-09T20:01:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T20:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/nrsa-lab\/?page_id=960"},"modified":"2026-04-10T00:41:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T00:41:59","slug":"lidar-based-forest-sensing-and-inventory","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/nrsa-lab\/lidar-based-forest-sensing-and-inventory\/","title":{"rendered":"LiDAR-Based Forest Sensing and Inventory"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Area 1 \u2014 LiDAR-Based Forest Sensing and Inventory<\/h1>\n\n\n
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Conventional forest inventory requires surveyors to measure trees one by one. Our lab has developed portable, backpack-mounted LiDAR systems that integrate multiple sensors \u2014 including cameras, LiDAR units, GPS, and inertial navigation systems \u2014 and can automatically locate and measure every tree in a stand across hundreds of acres in a matter of hours. A patent is currently pending on this system, which has been tested in natural forest environments in the U.S. and internationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By combining data from multiple platforms \u2014 backpack systems, drone-mounted units, and manned aircraft \u2014 the team can produce fine-resolution, wall-to-wall forest inventories at scales never before achievable. This multi-platform approach, rather than relying on any single sensor, allows the system to capture both the fine structural details of individual trees and the broad spatial patterns of entire stands.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Publications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  1. Lin, Y.-C., Shao, J., Shin, S.-Y., Saka, Z., Joseph, M., Manish, R., Fei, S., & Habib, A. (2022). <\/strong>Comparative analysis of multi-platform, multi-resolution, multi-temporal LiDAR data for forest inventory. Remote Sensing, 14(3), 649. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/rs14030649<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Shao, J., Lin, Y.-C., Wingren, C., Shin, S.-Y., Fei, W., Carpenter, J., Habib, A., & Fei, S. (2024). <\/strong>Large-scale inventory in natural forests with mobile LiDAR point clouds. Science of Remote Sensing<\/em>, 10, 100168. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.srs.2024.100168<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Zhou, T., Ravi, R., Lin, Y.-C., Manish, R., Fei, S., & Habib, A. (2023). <\/strong>In situ calibration and trajectory enhancement of UAV and backpack LiDAR systems for fine-resolution forest inventory. Remote Sensing, 15(11), 2799. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/rs15112799<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Zhou, T., Zhao, C., Fei, S., & Habib, A. (2024). <\/strong>Forest Feature LiDAR SLAM (F2-LSLAM) for backpack systems. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 212, 96\u2013121. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.isprsjprs.2024.04.025<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Zhao, C., Fei, S., & Habib, A. (2026). <\/strong>Integrated Scan Simultaneous Trajectory Enhancement and Mapping (IS2-TEAM) for fine resolution forest inventory using backpack LiDAR. Remote Sensing of Environment, 334, 115212. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.rse.2025.115212<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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