Colorizing the Cloud -- Adding RGB Information to Lidar Point Cloud from Aerial Imagery

Remote sensing products from photogrammetry and lidar scanner have the potential to create a rich dataset when combining information from both sources. This paper presents a first option for the Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) to couple lidar with the aerial imagery taking with every flight by incorporating the images into the data processing workflow. The image information is matched for each individual point in the point cloud based on their coordinates. Combining and making use of all the recorded information per flight ensures maximum utilization of all available data and can open up research opportunities. (KEYWORDS: Lidar, point cloud, RGB, Structure from Motion, snow depth)