Downscaling of forest inventory data by means of airborne laser scanning methods

01.12.2006 - 31.05.2009
Research funding project
The Austrian National Forest Inventory (NFI) rests upon statistical sampling procedures. Due to the sampling design the obtained forest data are only representative for relatively large areas. Remote sensing methods can be used for downscaling of the NFI data to smaller areas and for producing forestry maps of selected forest parameters. The goal of this research project is to investigate the potential offered by novel airborne laser scanning methods for downscaling of forest inventory data and for producing maps at scales 1:10 000 to 1:50 000 for selected forest parameters (forest area, stem volume, forest structure, ¿). The methods shall be implemented in such a way as to allow an automatic processing of laser scanner and NFI data at the Research and Training Centre for Forests, Natural Hazards and Landscape (BFW). The derived products shall be of use in a range of applications, including the mapping of protection forests in inaccessible regions, the analysis of spatial land cover patterns, and the recognition of streets and path ways in forested areas.

People

Project leader

Project personnel

Institute

Grant funds

  • BM für Land- und Forstwirtschaft, U und Wasserwirtschaft (National) Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (bm:lfuw)

Research focus

  • Environmental Monitoring and Climate Adaptation: 100%

Keywords

GermanEnglish
Laserscanninglaser scanning
Forstinventurforest inventory
RegionalisierungDownscaling
WaldkartierungForest mapping

External partner

  • Bundesforschungs- und Ausbildungszentrum für Wald, Naturgefahren und Landschaft

Publications