Dense point cloud extraction from UAV captured images in forest area

LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) is widely used in forestry applications to obtain information about tree density, composition, change, etc. An advantage of LIDAR is its ability to get this information in a 3D structure. However, the density of LIDAR data is low, the acquisition of LIDAR data is often very expensive, and it is difficult to be utilised in small areas. In this article we present an alternative to LIDAR by using a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) to acquire high resolution images of the forest. Using the dense match method a dense point cloud can be generated. Our analysis shows that this method can provide a good alternative to using LIDAR in situations such as these. ? 2011 IEEE.EI