Bluewater Business Solutions Ltd.

A LIght Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) data acquisition system emits pulses of light energy from the sensor apparatus. These pulses are directed from an aircraft towards the ground. When the pulses reach the ground they are reflected back towards the sensor and it records the time interval between pulse emmitance and pulse reception. This allows the sensor to generate the distance the pulse travelled before hitting the feature on the ground from which the pulse was reflected. In this way, the elevation of the features on the ground can be recorded. A LiDAR system can emit 200,000 pulses per second and can therefore measure the elevation of the ground and features on the ground at an extremely high resolution, generating resolutions of 20+ points per square metre on the ground.

3D Perspective of LiDAR data showing canopy and terrain surfaces along an electrical transmission corridor

LiDAR data provides a way of precisely inventorying the topographic and vegetative characteristics of a project area.  Bluewater Business Solutions provides LiDAR analysis services to:

• Adminstrate LiDAR surveys with LiDAR service providers
• Produce GIS compatable data products detailing
  • Topography
    • Elevation
    • Slope
    • Hillshade
    • Aspect
    • Contours
  • Vegetation
    
    • Canopy Surface / Canopy Height
    • Individual Tree Locations
    • Volume, Biomass, Carbon, Stem Density, Secondary Structure/Understory Vegetation
  • Other Features
    • Electrical Lines
    • Towers / Poles
    • Water Features
    • Fences

Bluewater Business Solutions has developed a processing system to produce high quality models from LiDAR data and provide that data to clients in industry standard formats.  We employ state-of-the-art modelling procedures (including uncertainty analysis and spatial autocorrelation analysis) for the development of vegetation models which allow stand level estimates of parameters of interest (volume, biomass, carbon, stem density etc) and which include the statistical accuracy of those estimates.  Forest volume estimates are typically in the range of 25 times more accurate than traditional ground sampling based estimates.

Our data processing system was developed in house to streamline the data delivery process to allow faster turnaround of data products to our clients and to allow the processing of projects of any size and level of detail.

Data Products

Elevation at 2m, 1m, 0.5m, or 0.25m resolution, derivatives of elevation can also be delivered including

• Slope
• Aspect
• Hillshade
• Contours (1m, 0.5m, 0.25m, or 0.1m intervals)

A 3D perspective of a relatively course elevation model (2m resolution)

Tree Stem Mapping

Canopy dominant trees (trees whose apex are not beneath other tree crowns) can be mapped out across the landbase with our tree finding algorithm.  Accuracies are a function of the type of tree crown forms being mapped (species) and the detail of the LiDAR survey. In the interior of British Columbia, we have achieved accuracies of 93%.  For each tree a number of parameters are defined including height above ground, crown diameter and a number of morphological characteristics describing crown regularity, crown depth and crown shape.

Tree stem mapping showing crown diameter where the size of the circle depicting each tree is proportional to it`s crown diameter.

Forest Volume, Biomass, Carbon, Stem Density

Stand level forest metrics can be estimated from LiDAR datasets with the use of minimal ground sampling.  These estimates can then be accurately extended across the area covered by a LiDAR survey.  Bluewater Business Solutions uses advanced spatial statistics and modelling to derive these forest metrics at scales of 5 - 20 m grid cells.  For forest volume we have demonstrated an improvement in accuracy of 550% as compared to conventional ground sampling based estimates (i.e. timber cruising).

Stand volumes for a 100 ha cutblock and surrounding area.  Cells are 20m x 20m where green cells represent high volume and red cells represent low volume