Research on the improvement of single tree segmentation algorithm based on airborne LiDAR point cloud

• Main Authors: Chen Qiuji, Wang Xin, Hang Mengru, Li Jiye
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: De Gruyter 2021-06-01
• Series: Open Geosciences
• Subjects: single tree segmentation; lidar technology; mining area forest; dbscan; k-means clustering algorithm
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1515/geo-2020-0266

The correct individual tree segmentation of the forest is necessary for extracting the additional information of trees, such as tree height, crown width, and other tree parameters. With the development of LiDAR technology, the research method of individual tree segmentation based on point cloud data has become a focus of the research community. In this work, the research area is located in an underground coal mine in Shenmu City, Shaanxi Province, China. Vegetation information with and without leaves in this coal mining area are obtained with airborne LiDAR to conduct the research. In this study, we propose hybrid clustering technique by combining DBSCAN and K-means for segmenting individual trees based on airborne LiDAR point cloud data. First, the point cloud data are processed for denoising and filtering. Then, the pre-processed data are projected to the XOY plane for DBSCAN clustering. The number and coordinates of clustering centers are obtained, which are used as an input for K-means clustering algorithm. Finally, the results of individual tree segmentation of the forest in the mining area are obtained. The simulation results and analysis show that the new method proposed in this paper outperforms other methods in forest segmentation in mining area. This provides effective technical support and data reference for the study of forest in mining areas.