#pdal — Public Fediverse posts

I recently published a practical guide to PDAL pipelines in Python for point cloud workflows.

It covers:

- PDAL pipeline structure
- running pipelines from Python
- returning results as NumPy arrays
- clipping and merging point clouds
- creating a GeoTIFF DEM from a LAZ file

The focus was on practical examples for real processing tasks.

https://medium.com/@anton.biatov/pdal-in-python-a-practical-guide-to-point-cloud-pipelines-1f7e2bc3e2ea

Also interested in what tools people use for point cloud work in production or research.

#PDAL #LiDAR #Python #GIS #geospatial

I was running out of RAM and out of swap while trying to generate a copc out of a laz with #pdal (the laz weighs 4.7GB). So I created a 15GB swapfile by simply adding

swapDevices = [{
device = "/var/lib/swapfile_15G";
size = 15*1024;
}];

to configuration.nix, rebuild, and voilà. The process is currently running very smoothly, peak consuming the whole RAM as expected (64GB) + 12GB out of the available 24GB.

cc @sguimmara @autra

#linux #nixos #pointcloud #lidar

🚀 Today, I'm running a workshop on #PointCloud Processing in #QGIS at #FOSS4GEurope 2025 in #Mostar! We'll dive into:
🔹️ Downloading & preprocessing data
🔹️ Creating DSMs with interpolation
🔹️ 3D visualization & styling
🔹️ Elevation profiles & filtering
🔹️ Automation with #PDAL Wrench
🔹️ Editing point clouds

💻 Can’t join in person? Free access at @gisocw
🔗https://courses.gisopencourseware.org/

@defuneste The #pdal workshop is a good introduction : https://pdal.io/en/2.9.0/workshop/agenda.html

Celebrate Open Education Week 2025!🎉

Today's highlight from GIS OpenCourseWare: Point Cloud Processing with QGIS & PDAL Wrench. Learn to work with point cloud data and automate workflows for faster, efficient processing. 🚀 #OpenEducationWeek #OEWeek2025 #GIS #QGIS #PointCloud #PDAL

Celebrate Open Education Week 2025!🎉

Today's highlight from GIS OpenCourseWare: Point Cloud Processing with QGIS & PDAL Wrench. Learn to work with point cloud data and automate workflows for faster, efficient processing. 🚀 #OpenEducationWeek #OEWeek2025 #GIS #QGIS #PointCloud #PDAL

Celebrate Open Education Week 2025!🎉

Today's highlight from GIS OpenCourseWare: Point Cloud Processing with QGIS & PDAL Wrench. Learn to work with point cloud data and automate workflows for faster, efficient processing. 🚀 #OpenEducationWeek #OEWeek2025 #GIS #QGIS #PointCloud #PDAL

Celebrate Open Education Week 2025!🎉

Today's highlight from GIS OpenCourseWare: Point Cloud Processing with QGIS & PDAL Wrench. Learn to work with point cloud data and automate workflows for faster, efficient processing. 🚀 #OpenEducationWeek #OEWeek2025 #GIS #QGIS #PointCloud #PDAL

Celebrate Open Education Week 2025!🎉

Today's highlight from GIS OpenCourseWare: Point Cloud Processing with QGIS & PDAL Wrench. Learn to work with point cloud data and automate workflows for faster, efficient processing. 🚀 #OpenEducationWeek #OEWeek2025 #GIS #QGIS #PointCloud #PDAL

PyForestScan - A Python Library For Calculating Forest Structural Metrics From LiDAR Point Cloud Data
--
https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.07314 <-- shared paper
--
https://github.com/iosefa/PyForestScan <-- GitHub repository
--
[disclaimer: I have not tried this library]
#GIS #spatial #mapping #JOSS #remotesensing #LiDAR #pointcloud #forest #structural #metrics #spatialanalysis #geostatistics #ecology #ecological #FHD #PAD #PyForestScan #model #modeling #opensource #Python #library #density #canopyheight #areaindex #DTM #output #PDAL #forest #forestry #monitoring #carbonaccounting

PyForestScan - A Python Library For Calculating Forest Structural Metrics From LiDAR Point Cloud Data
--
https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.07314 <-- shared paper
--
https://github.com/iosefa/PyForestScan <-- GitHub repository
--
[disclaimer: I have not tried this library]
#GIS #spatial #mapping #JOSS #remotesensing #LiDAR #pointcloud #forest #structural #metrics #spatialanalysis #geostatistics #ecology #ecological #FHD #PAD #PyForestScan #model #modeling #opensource #Python #library #density #canopyheight #areaindex #DTM #output #PDAL #forest #forestry #monitoring #carbonaccounting

PyForestScan - A Python Library For Calculating Forest Structural Metrics From LiDAR Point Cloud Data
--
https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.07314 <-- shared paper
--
https://github.com/iosefa/PyForestScan <-- GitHub repository
--
[disclaimer: I have not tried this library]
#GIS #spatial #mapping #JOSS #remotesensing #LiDAR #pointcloud #forest #structural #metrics #spatialanalysis #geostatistics #ecology #ecological #FHD #PAD #PyForestScan #model #modeling #opensource #Python #library #density #canopyheight #areaindex #DTM #output #PDAL #forest #forestry #monitoring #carbonaccounting

PyForestScan - A Python Library For Calculating Forest Structural Metrics From LiDAR Point Cloud Data
--
https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.07314 <-- shared paper
--
https://github.com/iosefa/PyForestScan <-- GitHub repository
--
[disclaimer: I have not tried this library]
#GIS #spatial #mapping #JOSS #remotesensing #LiDAR #pointcloud #forest #structural #metrics #spatialanalysis #geostatistics #ecology #ecological #FHD #PAD #PyForestScan #model #modeling #opensource #Python #library #density #canopyheight #areaindex #DTM #output #PDAL #forest #forestry #monitoring #carbonaccounting

PyForestScan - A Python Library For Calculating Forest Structural Metrics From LiDAR Point Cloud Data
--
https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.07314 <-- shared paper
--
https://github.com/iosefa/PyForestScan <-- GitHub repository
--
[disclaimer: I have not tried this library]
#GIS #spatial #mapping #JOSS #remotesensing #LiDAR #pointcloud #forest #structural #metrics #spatialanalysis #geostatistics #ecology #ecological #FHD #PAD #PyForestScan #model #modeling #opensource #Python #library #density #canopyheight #areaindex #DTM #output #PDAL #forest #forestry #monitoring #carbonaccounting

À l'image de MicMac, n''importe quel éxécutable est lançable dans Meshroom.

PDALRoom, anyone? #PDAL

#JC3DHN2024

It's lovely to be in such great company 🤩

#pdal #perfectin #qfield @qfield #rspatial #rasterframes #osgeo

https://www.osgeo.org/projects/ (page 9)

🌐 Vous cherchez à distinguer le sol et le sursol à l’aide de données #LiDAR ? Découvrez comment @Data_Wax a expérimenté l’utilisation de #pdal sur les données brutes du #LiDAR HD de l’@ignfrance : https://geotribu.fr/articles/2024/2024-06-24_lidar_hd_avec_pdal/

👓 Relecture : @geojulien, @GabPoujol, N. Godet, J. Hanke

🎯 #LiDAR #pdal #MNT #MNS #MNE

🌐 Vous cherchez à distinguer le sol et le sursol à l’aide de données #LiDAR ? Découvrez comment @Data_Wax a expérimenté l’utilisation de #pdal sur les données brutes du #LiDAR HD de l’@ignfrance : https://geotribu.fr/articles/2024/2024-06-24_lidar_hd_avec_pdal/

👓 Relecture : @geojulien, @GabPoujol, N. Godet, J. Hanke

🎯 #LiDAR #pdal #MNT #MNS #MNE

🌐 Vous cherchez à distinguer le sol et le sursol à l’aide de données #LiDAR ? Découvrez comment @Data_Wax a expérimenté l’utilisation de #pdal sur les données brutes du #LiDAR HD de l’@ignfrance : https://geotribu.fr/articles/2024/2024-06-24_lidar_hd_avec_pdal/

👓 Relecture : @geojulien, @GabPoujol, N. Godet, J. Hanke

🎯 #LiDAR #pdal #MNT #MNS #MNE

Its now 27 days past end of contract with nothing on the horizon. So here's a sales pitch thread of whats possible.

In 2017 I prototyped this #PyWPS service for massive point clouds: https://github.com/adamsteer/pointWPS

It relied on a STAC-like (STAC didn't exist yet) index, then #PDAL to do things - drawing data from multiple tiles in any shape.

It was presented at #EGU 2017 and #FOSS4G 2017.

Want this kind of vision using #opendata and #openstandards? Reach out.

#fediHire

Probably the first time I've had the time/data to do Canopy height and it mean something to the job. Heights are either 5 feet, 25 feet, or 100 Feet which correspond to the landowners memory of when things were planted (or avoided like the swampy area in bright green). #qgis #pdal

On the 2nd day of #OEWeek 2024, we're highlighting the #OpenCourseWare "Point Cloud Processing Tools in #QGIS and #PDAL wrench". Check https://courses.gisopencourseware.org/ for this and many other courses on #opensource #gis software!

I don't work directly with #PDAL very often, but today I got to help some students out with their PDAL pipeline filters, and it was great to be able to visualize the source lidar files directly in #QGIS to better understand what was going on.

USGSLiDAR [easier USGS 3DEP elevation data access]
--
https://github.com/bmcgaughey1/USGSlidar <-- shared GitHub repository
--
#GIS #spatial #mapping #entwine #remotesensing #opendata #spatialanalysis #processing #automation #opensource #USGSLiDAR #LiDAR #3dep #elevation #3delevation #3delevationprogram #USGS #webserver #index #entwineindex #PDAL #pipelines #download #pointdata #pointcloud #clipped #MicrosoftPlanetaryComputer #MPC
@USGS

USGSLiDAR [easier USGS 3DEP elevation data access]
--
https://github.com/bmcgaughey1/USGSlidar <-- shared GitHub repository
--
#GIS #spatial #mapping #entwine #remotesensing #opendata #spatialanalysis #processing #automation #opensource #USGSLiDAR #LiDAR #3dep #elevation #3delevation #3delevationprogram #USGS #webserver #index #entwineindex #PDAL #pipelines #download #pointdata #pointcloud #clipped #MicrosoftPlanetaryComputer #MPC
@USGS

USGSLiDAR [easier USGS 3DEP elevation data access]
--
https://github.com/bmcgaughey1/USGSlidar <-- shared GitHub repository
--
#GIS #spatial #mapping #entwine #remotesensing #opendata #spatialanalysis #processing #automation #opensource #USGSLiDAR #LiDAR #3dep #elevation #3delevation #3delevationprogram #USGS #webserver #index #entwineindex #PDAL #pipelines #download #pointdata #pointcloud #clipped #MicrosoftPlanetaryComputer #MPC
@USGS

USGSLiDAR [easier USGS 3DEP elevation data access]
--
https://github.com/bmcgaughey1/USGSlidar <-- shared GitHub repository
--
#GIS #spatial #mapping #entwine #remotesensing #opendata #spatialanalysis #processing #automation #opensource #USGSLiDAR #LiDAR #3dep #elevation #3delevation #3delevationprogram #USGS #webserver #index #entwineindex #PDAL #pipelines #download #pointdata #pointcloud #clipped #MicrosoftPlanetaryComputer #MPC
@USGS

USGSLiDAR [easier USGS 3DEP elevation data access]
--
https://github.com/bmcgaughey1/USGSlidar <-- shared GitHub repository
--
#GIS #spatial #mapping #entwine #remotesensing #opendata #spatialanalysis #processing #automation #opensource #USGSLiDAR #LiDAR #3dep #elevation #3delevation #3delevationprogram #USGS #webserver #index #entwineindex #PDAL #pipelines #download #pointdata #pointcloud #clipped #MicrosoftPlanetaryComputer #MPC
@USGS

Happening now at #foss4gnl 2023 in Middelburg: Workshop #pointcloud processing with #qgis and #pdal wrench. Follow along for free in English and Dutch at https://courses.gisopencourseware.org/ @gisocw @qgis

No worries if you miss my #FOSS4GNL 2023 workshop "Point Cloud Processing with #QGIS and #PDAL Wrench" today in Middelburg! You can follow along for free with the materials provided in Dutch & English at https://courses.gisopencourseware.org/
@qgis @osgeo @qgisnl #foss4g

Have you already registered for the #FOSS4GNL 2023 conference on 13 & 14 September in Middelburg?

There are workshops and presentations in Dutch & English. I'll give a workshop on the latest #pointcloud processing tools in :qgis:. Programme & registration: https://foss4g.nl @qgisnl #OSGeoNL #FOSS4G #PDAL #QGIS

On 13 & 14 September 2023 #osgeonl is organising #foss4gnl in Middelburg. On 13 September there are workshops and I'll give one in English & Dutch on #pointcloud processing with #QGIS and #PDAL wrench. More info and registration: https://foss4g.nl
#foss4g

New video: Using #pdal wrench for processing #pointclouds from the command line. Useful for automation of workflows. #qgis https://youtu.be/accJDon7CIQ

Finally ! I had a chance to really play with QGIS 3D, COPC point clouds and profiles.

#QGIS
#OSGEO
#PDAL
#BDNB

@samuelmesa It's worth mentioning that #pdal not being available in Ubuntu repositories anymore, it's not possible at the moment to open LAS/LAZ files directly with :qgis: #QGIS. I had to install pdal via conda first to convert my LAZ files to COPC first, then open the COPC in QGIS.

I hope the situation will be fixed soon cause it's not really great, but the workaround is relatively straightforward if you'rw familiar with the command line and editing a json file.