Tree Quantitative Structural Model Reconstruction from LiDAR Point Cloud Data

GitHub Repository: https://github.com/Landscape-CV/PyTLiDAR

A Quantitative Structure Model (QSM) is a representation of a tree's structure using geometric primitives, primarily cylinders, to describe its branching topology, geometry, and volume. QSMs are typically derived from point clouds generated by terrestrial laser scanning (TLS). They allow for the estimation of tree attributes like volume, diameter at breast height (DBH), and tree height, which are difficult to measure destructively. 

During our researches, we found a MatLab tool, TreeQSM, is efficient in reconstructing the QSM, but it is less convenient for researchers that are not familier with MatLab operations. The goal of our team is to rewrite the tool's code in Python and create an intuitive GUI for this tool. Our tool preserves the main feature of TreeQSM, which is reconstruction of tree models from LiDAR data, with certain parameters that users can play with. We have created an interactive html based interface for users to visualize and examine the LiDAR point cloud, as well as the generated tree model.

Please play with the interactive displays below. You can also see our github repository here.

References:

TreeQSM Github Repository: https://github.com/InverseTampere/TreeQSM?tab=readme-ov-file

Hackenberg, J.; Spiecker, H.; Calders, K.; Disney, M.; Raumonen, P. SimpleTree —An Efficient Open Source Tool to Build Tree Models from TLS Clouds. Forests 2015, 6, 4245-4294. https://doi.org/10.3390/f6114245 

Hackenberg, J.; Morhart, C.; Sheppard, J.; Spiecker, H.; Disney, M. Highly Accurate Tree Models Derived from Terrestrial Laser Scan Data: A Method Description. Forests 2014, 5, 1069-1105. https://doi.org/10.3390/f5051069

Markku, Å.; Raumonen, P.; Kaasalainen, M.; Casella, E. Analysis of Geometric Primitives in Quantitative Structure Models of Tree Stems. Remote Sens. 2015, 7, 4581-4603. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs70404581

Raumonen, P.; Kaasalainen, M.; Åkerblom, M.; Kaasalainen, S.; Kaartinen, H.; Vastaranta, M.; Holopainen, M.; Disney, M.; Lewis, P. Fast Automatic Precision Tree Models from Terrestrial Laser Scanner Data. Remote Sens. 2013, 5, 491-520. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs5020491