Automated extraction of heavyweight and lightweight models of Urban features from LiDAR point clouds by specialized web-software

Abstract

3D city modeling may be considered as one of the key applications, that are provided by the Automated Feature Extraction (AFE) techniques from LiDAR data. The authors attempt to prove that with growing availability of LiDAR surveying methods the resulted 3D city models become the most significant modeled features for any urban environment. Our paper represents the conceptual multifunctional approach within the AFE frameworks, that has been introduced through consequent steps of the phased methodological flowchart with its two branches: High Polyhedral Modeling (HPM) and the Low Polyhedral Modeling (LPM) of buildings. Both branches result in the heavyweight models, and in the lightweight ones, correspondingly. The research purpose of this paper is to outline our multifunctional approach (functionalities of Building Extraction, Building Extraction in Rural Areas, Change Detection, and Digital Elevation Model Generation) to the fully automated extraction of urban features, and present our original contributions to the relevant algorithmic solutions within both HPM, and LPM pipelines, as well as represent desktop, web-, and cloud-based software elaborated for these intentions. Original enhancements and optimizations of the adopted AFE-techniques have been bounded to the phases of the methodological flowchart, while some derivative results have been presented not only as the software description, but also in the discussion chapter. Joint implementation of various functionalities in a web-based application (the Server) is presented with several interface samples of research in urban block and district scopes, while a cloud-based application (the Geoportal) is an Internet-toolbox for solutions in the scope of a whole city.