LiDAR sensors in smartphones can enrich herbarium specimens with 3D models of habitat at high precision and little cost

Abstract

The amount of habitat information collected with herbarium specimens traditionally depends on the commitment of individual collectors to generate free-text descriptions. The resulting incomplete and unstandardized information limits the use of specimens for many ecological and biogeographic applications and may even limit their use in taxonomy. LiDAR (light detection and ranging) is an emerging technique for generating 3D environmental laser scans and is included in the latest generation of certain commercial smartphones and tablets. Here we argue, that widespread handheld LiDAR devices have an enormous potential for herbarium specimens by facilitating the collection of detailed 3D models of specimen habitat with little additional cost in the field. Furthermore, we report our experiences with using LiDAR during herbarium specimen collection and present a perspective on how LiDAR data may technically be linked with physical herbarium specimens.