Effect of data density, scan angle, and flying height on the accuracy of building extraction using LiDAR data

A Hough transform based approach for extraction of buildings using LiDAR data is presented. It is argued that LiDAR data should be smoothed and sparsed prior to Hough transform for better result. Algorithms to realize this are presented. Further, an algorithm which fits a vector model to extracted buildings is outlined. Simulated LiDAR data have been used to investigate the effect of three parameters (data density, flying height, and scan angle) on the quality of buildings extracted. A set of accuracy indices is proposed for this purpose. It is shown that the data density is the most significant parameter affecting the accuracy of building identification.