Land cover classification using airborne LiDAR products in Beauport, Québec, Canada

Abstract

Airborne light detection and range (LiDAR) with three-dimensional product acquisition capabilities has become an important research hot spot. The classification and information extraction of LiDAR were usually carried out with other earth observation (EO) data (VIR/SAR, spaceborne/airborne). However, if these EO data are not always available, a particularly interesting possibility is to use only the products of LiDAR including the digital elevation model, the digital surface model and the intensity image. In this article, at the study site of Beauport, around Lac-Saint-Charles, Québec, Canada, only airborne LiDAR products are applied to realise land cover interpretation and classification. A two-hierarchy decision-tree classification is suggested and carried out. Six land cover classes are extracted, including water bodies, bare soils, impervious areas, vegetation, buildings and high-voltage electric wires. All the reference and checking data are based on 1:20,000 topographic map of Québec. According to the accuracy statistics with 966 independent checking data, it is an efficient attempt in land cover classification using only airborne LiDAR products in this site. The feasibility of the methods and the classification data sources are verified for use in the scale of 1:25,000–50,000.