Terrestrial and Airborne Laser Scanning Dataset of Trees in the Shivalik Range, India with Field Measurements and Leaf–Wood Classifications

Read full text
Authors: Moonis Ali, Apratim Biswas, Anna Iglseder, Vinod Kumar, Shant Kumar, Sandeep Gupta, Markus Hollaus, Norbert Pfeifer, Bharat Lohani
Cited by: 3
References: 61

Abstract

Annotated datasets are essential for training and evaluating machine learning models in forest ecology. This dataset provides high-resolution, annotated LiDAR point clouds of 674 individual trees from 12 forest plots in the Shivalik Range of northern Haryana, India, representing 24 species. Data were acquired using Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) and Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS), include field-measured attributes such as species identity and Diameter at Breast Height (DBH), and terrestrial and aerial RGB imagery. TLS point clouds were georeferenced and co-registered with centimetre-level accuracy, enabling precise integration with ALS data. The dataset includes segmented individual trees and wood-leaf classifications, suitable for applications such as tree morphology analysis, biomass estimation, and species classification. To support benchmarking, outputs from established classification algorithms (LeWoS, TLSeparation, CANUPO, and Random Forest) are included. As one of the first open-access LiDAR datasets from Indian tropical forests, it provides critical reference data for developing and validating forest structure models. It can also aid biomass mapping efforts in support of large-scale missions such as NASA-ISRO's NISAR and ESA's BIOMASS.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Remote Sensing and LiDAR Applications 3D Surveying and Cultural Heritage Remote Sensing in Agriculture

Publication details

Journal / source
Scientific Data
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
13
Issue
1
Publication date
11 February 2026
Language
EN