Challenges and lessons from a wetland LiDAR project: a case study of the Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia, USA

Abstract

Airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) provides opportunities to generate high-quality digital elevation models (DEMs) even in wetland environments. Our project, performed over the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia during the spring of 2010, shows that several, distinctive factors must be considered to ensure successful wetland LiDAR projects. Some of the challenges include selecting optimal flight times in accordance with weather variability and water levels, having effective and quality control protocols, applying and developing filtering and interpolation algorithms, breaklines in swamps and accounting for data striping and noise. While some of these issues are faced in any airborne LiDAR acquisition, many of these require special consideration in a low-slope wetland environment with water saturated soils, widespread shallow water, and sediments and extensive vegetation. An examination of these issues and how they were handled will help in ensuring the success of future LiDAR acquisitions and, in particular, will advance knowledge of producing quality DEMs in wetland environments.

Keywords:

• LiDAR
• Wetlands
• Okefenokee Swamp

Acknowledgement

This project was funded by the USGS using the American Recovery and Reinforcement Act of 2009 grant (USGS #10HQPA0014), Award Number G10AC00114.