An easy-to-use, automated quality assurance tool to ensure fit-for-purpose airborne topographic and bathymetric LiDAR data products
The Challenge
QA4LiDAR is a LiDAR quality assurance (QA) software tool developed previously through CRCSI collaborative research. It simplifies, standardises and automates the QA process for airborne topographic and bathymetric LiDAR data. DELWP have made QA4LiDAR a core part of their LiDAR acquisition workflow. However, there were several small improvements to be made to enhance the usability and efficiency of the software for managing DELWPs LiDAR projects. The aims of this project were to improve the usability of the QA4LiDAR online forms and status reporting by introducing a range of small functional enhancements to the graphical user interface (GUI), and to improve the processing efficiency of some of the computer intensive QA measures to deliver faster results.
Partners
The project partner was the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP).
The Solution
QA4LiDAR was the first tool in the “QA4” suite of products. It has been designed to Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ICSM) standards and can be deployed for aerial LiDAR data captures across Australia and the Pacific. The independent QA checks can be performed on acquired topographic or bathymetric LiDAR data by the LiDAR provider before delivery, and/or by the contracting agency upon delivery of the data. It was designed for use by data suppliers and local, state and federal government data custodians, and provides transparency between government and private industry processes and expectations.
The following QA4LiDAR functionality was delivered in this project:
- Summary of QA checks that have been run
- Number the QA checks to assist with project management
- Regular Expression label
- Allow multiple horizontal coordinate systems for a project
- Multi-processing on the following checks
- Corruption
- LAS header validation
- Point density
- Bathy coverage
- Classification statistics
- Scan angle
- Relative vertical accuracy
- Validate classification (points below ground)
- Visual checks
- Add warnings about unknown or unidentified products
- Support for grouping projects as there are now so many within the system
Impact
The software enhancements delivered by this project make QA4LiDAR more usable for DELWP users performing the QA checks as well as for project managers in discussing and identifying issues with contractors. In general, QA4LiDAR streamlines the QA process and saves users time by replacing time-intensive manual tasks. QA4LiDAR increases the rigor and completeness of quality assurance checks and ensures high-quality data that is fit for purpose. Not only do end users of the product benefit from confidence in using data that is fit for purpose, but suppliers also benefit from operational efficiencies, product quality differentiation, and certainty related to product supply.
Contact
To learn more about this project, contact us at contact@frontiersi.com.au or Project Manager Lachlan Hurst at lhurst@frontiersi.com.au.