High-density mobile LiDAR for measuring urban streetscape features

Abstract

This study investigates the feasibility of utilizing high-density mobile Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to measure urban streetscape features. The results suggest that mobile LiDAR’s density allows for much smaller voxels than in the previous research and the ability to measure small urban streetscape features in 3D. This includes street trees, light/lampposts, street furniture, traffic and commercial signage, building window proportions, awnings, and enclosed courtyard restaurants. Moreover, mobile LiDAR facilitated measuring and categorizing these streetscape features in walkable, downtown-like streetscape environments. The ability to compartmentalize such streetscapes into smaller cubic foot voxels to be quantitatively measured and categorized could supplement or replace conventional audit-based streetscape measurement. This study introduces new methods—based on voxel data analysis—to compile accurate descriptive statistics of streetscape features and how they can be represented in 3D.