Adding a Task

About Adding Tasks

You may add a new point cloud task to the collection of tasks. Creating a new point cloud task involves selecting the desired Task Type, and inputting a name and description for the task. The list of Task Types is populated from the registered point cloud task objects currently installed on the machine. At the time of installation, LP360 will register the following task types:

• Adaptive TIN Ground Filter  Designed to separate points that have a high probability of being ground points from other points. The algorithm divides the task area into cells for which X and Y dimensions are defined by a Seed parameter. For each cell, a "best" candidate ground point is selected. These "seed" points are then used to construct a Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN). The algorithm then iterates, attempting to add points to the TIN, based on several inclusion criteria. The iterations conclude when either the user-specified stopping criteria are met or no additional points are added during the previous iteration.
  
  
• Basic Filter  Classifies points based on definitions of basic point filters. Practical uses of this task include transferring or swapping points from one class to another.
• 
  
  
• Classify by Feature Assigns classifications to points with a spatial relationship to other features. You can use any vector layer in the map to classify points that are within distances of linear or point features or completely within polygon features.
  
  
• Conflation
•   Collects the input required to conflate elevation values to vector data. 
  
  

• Cross Sections  Generates vertical cuts (cross-sections or profiles) of the point cloud at a user-specified interval along a line ("alignment"). The cross-sections can be optionally clipped to a circumscribing polygon such as the definition of the base of a stockpile.

• Height Filter  Classifies points based on the height from a ground surface. You can define ranges to classify one or more height bins at a time. Practical uses of this class include classifying points not in the ground, or building classifications to low, medium, or high vegetation classes. A more refined definition of height bins can be used to summarize the point data for use in vegetation-type models that use statistical metrics of the point cloud.
• 
  
  
• Intensity From RGB  Synthetically generates intensity values based on RGB values and populates the Intensity field in the LAS file.
  
  
• Low/Isolated Point Filter  Classifies noise points based on if it is significantly lower or isolated from its neighbors.
• 
  
  
• Macro  This is a special instance of a point cloud task that is used to create an ordered set of tasks that are executed over similar geographic areas. An example of a macro task is the 'Default Building Filter/Extractor' task that executes a building filter first, then a building extractor task second.
• With the Macro "task", you can create your own set of ordered tasks.
  
  
• Model Key Points Filter
•   Classifies model key points into a separate class to reduce the source point density based on a surface error model.
  
  
• Planar Point Filter  Classifies points by fitting points to user-defined planes, for example, building rooftops.
• 
  
  
• Point Cloud Statistics Extractor  Extracts point cloud statistics into geographic files. A practical use of this task is to create automated QA reports of the point cloud.
• 
  
  
• Point Group Tracing and Squaring  Traces outlines around point groupings and optionally squares the outlines. A practical use of this class type is drawing outlines around points classified as buildings and using the squaring option to approximate the outline of buildings.
• 
  
  

• Rail Extractor Detects and classifies rails based on detection properties that you define in the Rail Extraction properties. "Seed" lines are used to define the location of the rails.

• Smoothing-Respacing Smooths given geometry (lines or polygons) using the Douglas-Peuker algorithm. The given geometry is respaced by adding or removing points.

• Statistical Noise Point Filter  Used to find points that fit a "noise" criterion. These points are then moved to the specified Destination Class. The Statistical Noise Point Cloud Task is intended to be used for smoothing near-horizontal surfaces, such as ground. It could be applied following ground classification where the resultant ground is "noisy" as a result of laser range precision ("noisy" range) or surface characteristics.
  
  
• Volumetric Analysis  Computes the volume difference between two TINs, as defined by a circumscribing polygon and its LAS points. 

How to Add Tasks

1. Display the Table of Contents window if it is not already displayed. (In LP360 for Windows, click View and then Table of Contents. In LP360 for ArcGIS, click Windows and then Table of Contents.)

   

2. Click the Point Cloud Task tab in the left pane.

   

3. Click the Point Cloud Tasks button at the top of the pane and click Add Task. 

   

    
4. In the Add Point Cloud Task dialog, select the specific Task Type to create.

   

5. Enter a Task Name and Task Description for the new task.

   

6. Click OK to create the task or Cancel to exit without creating the task.
   
   

The Point Class Task pane will display the task that you just set up along with the parameters that will allow you to customize the task as needed. See Point Class Tasks for information on each individual task type.