A graph-based segmentation algorithm for tree crown extraction using airborne LiDAR data

Abstract This work proposes a segmentation method that isolates individual tree crowns using airborne LiDAR data. The proposed approach captures the topological structure of the forest in hierarchical data structures, quantifies topological relationships of tree crown components in a weighted graph, and finally partitions the graph to separate individual tree crowns. This novel bottom-up segmentation strategy is based on several quantifiable cohesion criteria that act as a measure of belief on weather two crown components belong to the same tree. An added flexibility is provided by a set of weights that balance the contribution of each criterion, thus effectively allowing the algorithm to adjust to different forest structures. The LiDAR data used for testing was acquired in Louisiana, inside the Clear Creek Wildlife management area with a RIEGL LMS-Q680i airborne laser scanner. Three 1 ha forest areas of different conditions and increasing complexity were segmented and assessed in terms of an accuracy index (AI) accounting for both omission and commission. The three areas were segmented under optimum parameterization with an AI of 98.98%, 92.25% and 74.75% respectively, revealing the excellent potential of the algorithm. When segmentation parameters are optimized locally using plot references the AI drops to 98.23%, 89.24%, and 68.04% on average with plot sizes of 1000 m2 and 97.68%, 87.78% and 61.1% on average with plot sizes of 500 m2. More than introducing a segmentation algorithm, this paper proposes a powerful framework featuring flexibility to support a series of segmentation methods including some of those recurring in the tree segmentation literature. The segmentation method may extend its applications to any data of topological nature or data that has a topological equivalent.