Utilising LiDAR-equipped iphone in forestry: constructing 3D models and measuring tree sizes in a planting site.
Abstract
The LiDAR-equipped iPhone (iPhone-LiDAR) is highly portable for outdoor use and significantly more cost-effective compared with other LiDAR-equipped devices, such as uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) or ground-based LiDAR. This method holds practical promise for small-scale forest measurements. In this study, we conducted terrain mapping and positioning of newly planted small areas in northern Japan, along with tree height measurements, using iPhone-LiDAR. The iPhone-LiDAR generated highly accurate 3D models, allowing for detailed terrain measurements of the planted areas. Despite detecting many false-positive points in identifying tree positions, manual removal of these points enabled the creation of an accurate tree position map, which is expected to significantly reduce the workload compared with traditional survey methods. LiDAR-estimated seedling heights were underestimated due to some inevitable noise in the point cloud. Solution: Improvements in software, scanning, and analytical methodologies will expand future possibilities for iPhone-LiDAR applications in forestry practices.