Lessons from LiDAR data use in the Netherlands

Light Detection And Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) is not really a new technology. However, it does provide the data from which accurate models of the natural land surface completely stripped of buildings and vegetation can be derived. Interestingly for Cultural Heritage and Archaeology, most of the data is already freely available for research. This is certainly the case in the Netherlands, with the “Actueel Hoogtemodel Nederland 2”, or “AHN2”. The density of the measured points is at least 50 centimetres, which means that the remains of structures larger than one by one metre can be detected. As a result, many unknown structures have been discovered with it. However, these excellent results have blinded many Cultural Heritage and Archaeology practitioners to obvious mistakes when interpreting LiDAR data. This paper is intended to highlight best-practices for the use of LiDAR data by Cultural Heritage professionals