An analysis of impostor based level of detail approximations for LIDAR data

Abstract

LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) [1] is a remote sensing technology that is growing in popularity in varied and diverse disciplines. Modern LIDAR systems can produce substantial amounts of data in very brief amounts of time, so one of the greatest challenges facing researchers is processing and visualizing all of this information, particularly in real time. Ideally, a scientific visualization of a set of LIDAR data should provide an accurate view of all the available information; however, sometimes it is beneficial to exchange a small portion of that accuracy for the increased usability and flexibility of a real-time interactive display. The goal of this research is to characterize under what conditions the level-of-detail rendering technique known as impostors [2-4] can effectively optimize the inherent trade-offs between accuracy and interactivity in large-scale point cloud datasets. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.